good morning. new details. this morning we're learning more about that daring operation to rescue that 5-year-old boy held host nanlg a bunker for nearly a week, police storming in after a camera revealed the child was in imminent danger. gas prices up 17 cents in just a week. why they won't be coming down any time soon. and what is this? is it a bird, is it a plane? we will reveal a breakthrough device that will literally blow you away "today," tuesday, february 5th, 2013.

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savian guthrie live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a tuesday morning. i'm savannah guthrie. >> i'm matt lauer and that was incredible news coming out of alabama, the raid that freed that 5-year-old boy. incredible for the parents. >> the little boy, ethan, spent the night in an alabama hospital, where he is said to be in good spirit this is morning. agents entered the bunker using a distractive device, some sort of explosive. when it was all said and done, the boy's captor was dead and the little boy not hurt. we're hearing from senator robert menendez for the first time about claims that he was with prostitutes during overseas trips. coming up, his emotional response to what he says is a false attack. we've got more details this

morning on just what caused the lights to go out during the super bowl. we'll go live to new orleans where some people are saying it happened twice during beyonce's rehearsal. so, were warning signs missed? but we'll begin with dramatic new details in that hostage situation in alabama. gabe gutierrez is in midland city once again this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. law enforcement official tells nbc news that the fbi somehow managed to get a secret camera inside that bunker and that's how they decided to move in. a dramatic end to a six-day standoff. in alabama monday, a federal hostage team stormed an underground bunker, where this man, 65-year-old jimmy lee dykes, was holding a 5-year-old, known only as ethan, captive. >> very special child. he has been through a lot. he has endured a lot. by the grace of god, you know,

he's okay. >> reporter: the two spent 143 hours in the underground shelter, stocked with supplies. law enforcement officials watching closely every minute from the ground and the air, using small, unmanned aircraft. based on sketches from a neighbor who says he was once inside dykes' bunker, we now know the shelter had a hatch and ladder and pvc pipe that, at times was used to communicate with dykes actually ran sideways, 50 yards under ground to his property. authorities were able to get a camera inside the bunker. though they're not saying how. monday they saw dykes holding a gun. believing that ethan was in danger, they decided to breach the bunker. neighbors heard an explosive, which authorities say was a distraction device.

when the rescue team entered the bunker, they found dykes dead and ethan unharmed. it all took seconds. ethan was now in an ambulance, about to be reunited with his family. >> i can tell you that i have been to the hospital. i have visited with ethan. he is doing fine. he is laughing, joking, playing, eating. >> while federal agents high fived each other, the community breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to celebrate eatithan' birthday. he turns 6 tomorrow. >> i would imagine it's going to be the greatest birthday that that family and that little boy has ever experienced and probably will ever experience. i would imagine this little boy will probably get anything he wants for his birthday. >> reporter: we know that dykes didn't trust the government. so far people have not released an official motive in this kidnapping. law enforcement officials tell

nbc news that the cause of dykes' death is still unclear. medical examiner will determine whether an actual gunshot killed him or whether it may have been the flash back. savannah? >> gabe gutierrez in midland city for us. thank you. senator harri smith has been involved in this situation. i know you've been in daily contact with ethan's mother. how is the reunion? >> i spoke to one of the family members last night. they said ethan was doing really well, lots of hugs and kisses going on and that he was just his lovely, sweet little self. so, they were so happy. >> have you learned anything more about the conditions of his confinement, how he was treated over these last six, seven days? >> you know, we were told earlier in the week that mr.

dykes actually was being very kind to him, giving him his favorite foods, asking for coloring books, allowing him to watch cartoons, giving him his favorite snack. but i'm sure, as the sheriff reported, that the conditions went downhill, he endured a lot, that little boy. but the mother told me one thing when we were sitting together over the last several days, that he is a brave little boy and if you just took the time to get to know him that everybody who meets him just loves him. that he's such a likable little boy. brave and she said that he's going to love him. >> well, he is a little boy who obviously has been through a lot. as i understand it -- >> he has. >> -- you actually ran into ethan's mother just at the moment that she was finding out that the rescue had taken place. can you tell us about that? >> lots of smiles. i actually was going over for my afternoon visit and she was being rushed out the door along

with her mother, the grandmother. and you could see she was visibly shaken, nervous, but i could see this little smile. and she gave me a big hug. and grandmother turned around and smiled and said, you know, we love you. and they put them in a vehicle and i later learned they were on their way to the hospital to be reunited with ethan. so i know there's a lot of hugs and kisses. >> indeed, lots to come. especially tomorrow, his birthday. senator harri anne smith, i know you've been a great support to the family. thank you for being with us. >> thank you. >> now here ais matt. >> savannah, thank you. clint van zandt is a former fbi negotiator and profiler. soechl details being kept close to the vest, how they were able

to see inside that bunker, how they got a camera in there, how the suspect actually died. is that the right course of action in something like this? >> i think it is, matt. because the team that did the rescue was also the national team we would call upon in a major terrorist incident. so, we want to keep those things close to the vest. we know bad guys watch television, movies and everything else to get informati information. and the last thing the fbi wants to do is give up their methods, their techniques and have terrorists use your show or somebody else's as a training film to understand how we go after them the next time. >> clint, you have been the guy on the other end of the phone in these hostage negotiations. how do you know when the time has come to take an enormous risk like this, knowing that some action against the suspect could also result in harm to the young boy in this case? >> yeah. there's an ongoing cost benefit analysis that's done, matt.

negotiators that have been talking to mr. dykes for the entire week who are going to provide information, is he up, is he down? has the emotional threat level increased? then you're going to look at the information you have. in this case, the alleged cameras that show him walking around with a gun in a menacing fashion. and finally the tactical team has to say we believe with a high degree of certainty that we can get in and make a successful rescue if we have to. that's the time the on-scene commander says, okay, i believe the threat level is so high to that little boy, we have no choice and wre not going to wait and let him get killed inside and then go. the fbi made a decision to go. right decision, obviously. and that little boy is live today because of that. >> clint, as the guy who is the negotiator at that moment, i would imagine your role changes dramatically. instead of trying to gain the release of that little boy, you are now a distracter in some way. you are trying to keep the

suspect calm even though you know the storm is coming. >> you know the storm is coming. the negotiators and tactical team work very, very closely together. and, matt, you can't skip a beat. you can't give any indication that you know something is going to change because you want to lull the hostage taker into a sense of complacency. where the tactical team can go in, take the person by surprise. by the time he is able to react, they've already dealt with him. >> clint van zandt, always interesting to get your perfect speexpect ive on something like this. thanyou very much. >> thanks, matt. natalie morales is over at the news desk. good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah and matt. good morning, everyone. nbc's peter alexander is there with the very latest. good morning. >> natalie, good morning to you. the president will largely focus his attention on immigration reform and deficit reduction

exactly one week ahead of his state of the union address. president obama is juggling a full plate of proposals on guns and immigration. janet napolitano. >> we are committed to making sure this sector and the entire southwest border remains secure. >> reporter: immigration reform would allow estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the u.s. to earn citizenship. on monday he took his push for tougher gun laws to minneapolis, the city known as murderapolis in the mid '90s. >> weapons of war have no place on our streets or in our schools or threaten iing our law enforcement officers. >> reporter: against the backdrop of those officers, president obama urged supporters to call on congress to act. >> we don't have to agree on

everything to agree it's time to do something. >> reporter: while both sides largely agree with a need for extended background checks, reinstating the assault weapons ban remains the most controversial effort. president obama is ignoring the nation's economic challenges, critics say. >> our economy could use some presidential leadership right now. >> reporter: immigration reform is critical, they say, to helping the nation's economy. those coming here to meet with the president, ceos from companies like yahoo! goldman sachs and coca cola. natalie? >> thank you so much, peter. secretly laying out conditions for carrying out targeted killings of suspected american terrorists that are different than officials have explained publicly. according to a membero obtained by nbc news. itxpands the definition of self defense and what qualifies as an imminent threat of violence and says that these

cases are lawful killings and not assassinations. let's head to wall street. cnbc's kayla tausche is at the new york stock exchange. >> speaking of the department of justice, the doj says that standard & poors misled investors. this will be the first federal enforcement agen enforcement action against a credit rating firm. stock market rally has hit the pause button for now. experts say we're still on pace for big gains in 2013. natalie? >> kayla tausche at the new york stock exchange. thank you. after years of listening to david letterman poke fun at his weight on the late show, governor chris christie stopped by the show so he can get in on the jokes.

>> i didn't know this was going to be this long. >> are you on a diet now? >> well, obviously not. >> i guess not, no. >> just blew it. basically the healthiest fat guy you've ever seen in your life. >> after trading barbs with the comedian who mocked him for so long, christie showed that he really is the bigger man. you're up-to-date. let's turn it back over to savannah, matt and al. >> thank you very much. clipper coming through. another one coming through tomorrow as well.

>> that's your latest weather. sav savannah? >> al, thanks. new jersey senator robert menendez is speaking out for the first time about an anonymous online report limpinging him to trips involving prostitutes in trips to the dominican republic. he is denying the report. kelly o'donnell has the report on capitol hill. >> reporter: he is reacting to the report based on anonymous sources that was posted online right before his re-election in november. i was among a small group of reporters who spoke to menendez right off the senate floor and i made an audio recording of his responses. >> those smears are exactly that, smears, untrue. >> reporter: asked directly if he had been with a prostitute, senator menendez, chairman of

the foreign relations committee. >> this hearing of the senate foreign relations committee -- >> reporter: denied that story and grew emotional, saying political enemies launch ed a false attack. the smears -- the smear that is right-wing blogs have been pushing since the election and that is totally unsubstantiated. it's amazing to me that anonymous, nameless, faceless individuals on a website can drive that type of story into the mainstream, but that's what they've done successfully. >> reporter: a conservative website published the story before the november election. menendez was with prostitutes, it says, during trips to the dominican republic in 2010. >> the people of new jersey whose lives have been -- >> reporter: menendez, who is divorced, points out that various news outlets have been unable to verify the various story based on anonymous sources. >> now nobody can find them.

no one ever met them. no one ever talked to them. but that's where we're at. so the bottom line is that all of those smears are absolutely false. >> reporter: menendez did travel to the dominican republic with a top donor from florida. a multimedia organization that melvin chaired. last week the fbi was at melvin's west palm beach offices, taking away boxes of material. authorities have not disclosed the focus of the investigation. menendez drew more attention because he just reimbursed melvin last month. more than $58,000 for 2010 travel on melvin's private plane. menendez had not reported those flights under senate rules but says that was simply an oversight. >> when it came to my attention that it had not been paid, i came forth and paid it. and so i can't do anything better than that. had i wished that in those travel schedules that we had that we had a better process to

make sure it didn't fall through the crack? yes. but when it came to my attention, i did the right thing and i paid for it. >> reporter: and the senate ethics committee says it's aware of these reports and is doing what it should in its own process. senator harry reid, the majority leader, says whatever investigation should go forward, but he backs bob menendez. savannah? >> kelly o'donnell on the hill for us. now here's matt. gas prices are rising again this morning, the national average jumping another cent overnight to 3.53 for unleaded regular. also a 17-cent hike in just a week. tom costello takes a look at the reasons why. tom, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. yes, we hear you in california and new york and illinois and vermont. we know you're paying a lot more there, of course. you can blame a lot of things here. for the beginning, refinery shutdowns, a shift over to summer blends and a perception on wall street that the economy is picking up.

it is all the talk from coast to coast, those pump prices. >> i don't even want to like know the amount at the end of the week because i don't want to get depressed. >> i'm going to drive a lot less for now, i know that for sure. >> you're wasting like 60 bucks a week. >> reporter: several refineries are down for maintenance, a supply shortage in california, oil prices are rising. then there are economic factors. >> there's often a run-up in gas prices in february and march as the refineries transition from making the winter grade to the summer grade of gasoline. summer blend is often more expensive and more costly to make and that means more cost at the gas pump. >> reporter: and the price hikes really hit home. average american household spent $2,900 on gas in 2012, just under 4% of their income before taxes. with the exception of 2008, that was the highest in nearly 30 years. while gas prices may move higher in the coming weeks, over the coming months they could go lower.

>> looking at the entire year now, i believe that 2013 will probably finish with lower prices than the entire year of 2012, when we look at the yearly average. for now it's going to be pain at the pump. >> listen to this. the union of concerned scientists says the typical american, by the time they have taken care of their car for the life of their car, they will have spent as much filling that car as they did on the price of the car unless, of course, they got a really fuel efficient car. back to you. >> tom costello down in washington for us. the prices around here are crazy. >> terrible. >> california, other places, they are much higher. then you go across the border to new jersey where you live -- >> not that bad. they fill it up for you. >> great. >> all the attendants are wearing bow ties and come out and run and sing. >> towels and glassware also. >> i don't even have a car, but i've heard. new details this morning on what caused the lights to go out

during the super bowl game. why the nfl is saying don't blame beyonce. the groundbreaking invention that will make your day if you're a germophobe like the guy we gotta sell the car. where would we even start? get the car. hi howard. get in. hi, good to see you. start with an actual written offer when selling your car, no strings attached. carmax. start here.

still ahead, dozens of brides who paid thousands of dollars to book a dream venue only to have it close. and the super fan who built his own central perk. which would you rather have?

a big treehouse or a small treehouse? if it's big enough, you can have a disco. oh yeah. [ male announcer ] it's not complicated. bigger is better. and at&t has the nation's largest 4g network. ♪ ♪ every little thing has meaning ♪ [ female announcer ] we always make our kraft singles with milk, and no artificial flavors, so you can be sure there's no single thing better for your grilled cheese. ♪ in that time there've been some good days. and some difficult ones. but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history.

so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could yours. ♪ good morning it is 7:26. let's check on the morning commute. good morning i'm watching an accident at coleville road. you are able to get by but follow police direction as you are able to make your way around the circle here. that is clear. but it is still a bit slow. it will take 26 minutes to get from prince william parkway to

the beltway. >> we know by looking how bad the commute can be around here. texas a & m institute's urban mobility says overall the congestion cost per year is almost $1400. ravens fans will be lining the streets this morning to catch' look at the team. we will be streaming that event live starting at 12:45. your forecast is

good morning cloudy now.

we are right around 30 degrees with the cloud cover. and tomorrow the sun back. highs s in the 40s each day ma some rain on friday. highs up around 50 degrees. in the news

smelly cat what are they feeding you ♪ everybody! ♪ smelly cat smelly cat it's not your fault ♪ >> if you miss your "friends" we've got good news for you. now you can have a cup of coffee in an exact replica of central perk by a super fan of that show who even calls himself gunther. we'll tell you how far you'll have to travel to get there in a couple of minutes. meanwhile it's tuesday, february 5th, 2013, 7:30. >> i'm enjoying our little '90s flashback this morning.

imagine spending months planning your wedding only to have your venue take your money, suddenly shut down and leave you out in the cold. it happened to kozs of brides. a rossman reports investigation into the company responsible. then if my smile is a little broader this morning it's because we're going to show you a revolutionary device that could change everything for germ haters like me. we'll tell you what this is and introduce you to the man behind it. >> why the "exorcist" music? are we going to exercise germs? >> i don't know. janet shamlian is down in new orleans with more on the blackout. good morning. >> reporter: superdome officials were concerned about losing power during the super bowl as far back as last october. the electrical feeders that bring power in showed signs of dekay, something that concerned not only the energy company,

entergy, but officials at the superdome. money was paid for repairs and those repairs were made but the system still failed. after the dome went dark during the super bowl it's now fresh meat for the late-night comics. >> the lights went out in the third quarter. it was weird. normally i don't experience a blackout till after the super bowl party. >> you see what happens when beyonce actually sings live? that's what happens. >> someone clapped twice and everything went dark. >> reporter: 34 minutes of near darkness unfolded on 73,000 fans in the stands, a tv audience of 108 million and a camera crew from 60 minutes sports that happened to be in the nerve center, the control room. >> we lost lights. >> reporter: so what did happen? >> it's still a mystery. we're going to get to the bottom of it. >> reporter: doug thornton manages the superdome and says there are two power feeders from the substation that go into the building and the main feeder

went out, bringing down the lights on the west side of the stadium. beyond that, there are admittedly few answers. new orleans power company, entergy tweeting until the investigation is xloet, any statements on possible causes of the outage are just speculation. some pointed fingers at beyonce's high wattage half time which wrapped up not long before the blackout. commentator boomer esiason on a sports radio show. >> beauyonce blew the electric the superdome twice i'm told. >> is that right? >> during her rehearsals. >> reporter: the nfl says not a chance that beyonce's production ran on its own generator. >> i know that's been out there to say that beyonce's half-time show had something to do with it. that is not the case from anything we have at this point. >> reporter: when play resumed, the 49ers seemed to have all the power, scoring 17 consecutive points to put themselves firmly back in the game. but in the end it wasn't enough.

>> the blackout had nothing to do with the game. the 49ers just outplayed us there for a stretch and they played great. and we did not. i was proud that our guys bounced back. >> reporter: mitch landrieu described the outage in an unfortunate moment in what had otherwise been a shining week. as visitors leave here, many more are coming in. they're just not getting a break here because it is now mardi gras. >> janet shamlian in new orleans for us. janet, thank you very much. >> that's when the blackouts really begin. let's get a check of the weather with mr. roker. >> okay, thanks so much, savannah. as we show you what we've got going on

good morning that snow to the north of the metro area last night. no accumulation. it is cold and near freezing throughout most of the region. into the low to mid 40s and cloudy this eaching, slight chance of a flurry. breezy and chilly, highs into the mid and upper 40s. rain on friday with 40s. >> and it happens to be national weather man -- make that weather person day. so hug your national weather person the first chance you get.

savannah? >> all right, al. thanks. now rossen reports on dream weddings that turned into nightmares. planning the big day is hard enough. but what happens when the people you trust take your money and then don't deliver? jeff rossen is here with that story. good morning to you. >> hey, savannah. we all know how stressful it is to plan a wedding but this takes it to an all new level. we're talking about 50 couples across the country who paid to get married at a gorgeous mansion in las vegas but when the company suddenly shut down they were left in the cold. what's worse, the owners were using the business account to pay for luxurious, personal expenses. this is griffin mansion, the sprawling estate nestled in the las vegas desert. gorgeous from the air. >> welcome to griffin mansion. >> even more stunning inside, billed as the destination for your dream wedding. denise and edward, bride and

groom to be, were hooked. >> everything was so elegant, beautiful, exactly what i envisioned for us. >> fairy tale? >> fairy tale wedding. >> they say they paid more than $20,000 for the all-inclusive package from food to flowers to the photographer. it's a family-run business, run by this husband and wife, anthony lopez and portia ladawick. she even appears in the ad. >> our philosophy here is simple, to provide you with the wedding day of your dreams. >> reporter: but just ten days before the big day, a bombshell. >> they called to inform me that they will not be having my wedding in a week. >> your wedding is a week away and they say, we can't do it? >> it was 11 minutes after i made the final payment. >> reporter: the owners offered to move her wedding to a replacement location that she says was a joke. 20 grand gone and she says they refused to give her a refund. in fact, there were 53 couples from 12 different states who

lost hundreds of thousands of dollars. their dream weddings turning into nightmares. >> reporter: in your wildest dreams, did you ever think this would happen to you? >> never. >> it was really heartbreaking. >> reporter: officials say griffin mansion shouldn't have been throwing wedding receptions in the first place, operating without the proper permits for years. and it finally caught up with them. health officials shut them down for violations after guests at one affair got sick from norovirus. the brides say the openers kept that secret. they looked you right in the eye and said everything is great, no problems? give me more money? >> yeah. pay in cash. we'll give you a discount. >> oh, yeah. >> eep after they knew your wedding was never going to happen? >> yep. >> reporter: in fact, more than a month after they were shut down -- >> this is where your guests will sit. >> reporter: griffin mansions was still trying to book new customers. it was all captured on hidden camera. >> cocktail hour can be inside and out. so it's a really nice option for

your guests. >> reporter: nbc station in las vegas went in, posing as a bride and groom. >> and you guys have a liquor license, i'm assuming? >> we do, yep. >> reporter: officials say that's not true. >> they don't have a heart. >> there's a special place in hell for them. >> reporter: what's worse, documents show the husband and wife owners, anthony and portia, were using the business account on lavish expenses, racking up big tabs at victoria's secret, barneys, luiv vuitton, spa treatments, even fertile treatments. >> they're a con couple, kept taking money at an accelerated pace, booking weddings that would never happen. >> reporter: they filed for bankruptcy. anthony lopez and his wife declined our requests for an interview. >> you have nothing to say? nothing to say to the brides and grooms? >> reporter: lopez wouldn't talk. just shruged outside of bankruptcy court. he said they did everything they could for the couples, but denise said it wasn't nearly

enough. and they had to scramble to put together a whole new wedding in just days. >> get robbed of everything. you plan for that special day and you don't get to have that. >> reporter: experts say if you're planning a wedding, there are ways to protect yourself. for one, pay with a credit card, not cash. that way, if something goes wrong, you can dispute it with the credit card company directly. you can also buy wedding insurance, which usually costs between 150 and $500. that may be worth it, considering the average price of a wedding in this country is $27,000. >> jeff, thank you. good advice. coming up next, first look at a breakthrough advice from ge germophobes from one of the world's most successful inventors, after this. or tall. it's not all about who sparkles the most. or who is the best dressed. what nature really cares about is what you have to offer. like the stevia plant.

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tell me you miss me. that's all i need. [ female announcer ] for everything they need to hear this valentine's day, there's a hallmark card. we're back at 7:44 with what could be a germophobe's dream come true. a look at his latest invention. first, the folks at snl may have had a clue about where he was headed. >> i'm the inventor of the dyson vacuum, the first vacuum that doesn't use suction. the toilet, a few thousand prototypes later, i had it. this massive load of pumpkin ravioli and the ravioli were

quite dense. it's brilliant, isn't it? the dyson toilet. >> it's not a toilet but it is something in the bathroom. sir james dyson, welcome back. always good to have you here. >> nice to be here. >> the fact of the matter is your products fall between a product in pop culture. is that the idea? >> i think people are just fascinated by technology, like i am. so we're developing products that use new technology yet a useful product that does something better and they're usually everyday products. >> when you set your mind to something, does form take on more importance than function or do they have to be equally split? >> for me, function is always more important and it should drive how the product looks. the product should express what it does. i don't like those black boxes that none of us know what they do. if you can show the technology through the form in some way. >> let's walk over to what we're discussing this morning. this is called the air blade

tap. is that correct? >> it is. it is. the secret to it is this wonderful motor we've developed. it's three times faster than any other motor. it gives us the power to push air out at 420 miles an hour out of that very narrow slot there. >> i'll get to that in a second. before you do something, you need to solve a problem. guys like me and other people, we're afraid of germs. we don't want to go into the bathroom and touch the sink after we've used the commode. >> or the tap. this is an automatic tap. >> i'll go across here. >> i'll demonstrate it. you put your hands underneath. >> right. >> water appears. wash your hands. the tap stops. you put your hands here. >> oh, i just got that all over me! so this is the air blade? >> the air blade, 420-mile-an-hour air. >> it dries them how fast?

>> in 14 seconds. absolutely dry. the clever thing about it, it scrapes the water off your hands like a windshield wiper. and the area around your nails. when you get a paper towel you don't get between every finger and you don't clean around your nail nails. well, most people don't. >> right. >> but this will do it for you. >> will this have a soap dispenser at some point so you don't have to touch that either? >> that's a very good idea. >> you didn't think about that? the other thing, what about cost? are communities going to be able to afford to put these in public restrooms? >> absolutely. >> turn around so we get a good shot of you there. >> we have mibsed hi ee eed mixc hand drying and one of these equals the cost of 15,000 towels, the cost to run.

it's not expensive. very low cost to run. >> you still need the towels because you have to open the doorknob to get out of the bathroom. >> also it has one-fifth of the carbon footprint from hand driers and paper towels. >> and it has that cool factor as so many of your products do. sir james dyson, thank you very much. now that we can shake hands after you used this. a "friends" fan takes us inside his own central paerk, right after this. yeah, they're the worst. [ caribbean accent ] no worries, mon. every-ting will be alright. [ chuckles ] yeah, mon. come on! don't fret, me brotha. sticky bun come soon. ♪ yeah, wicked coffee, mista jim! julia, turn da frown de other way around!

hey, dave, you're from minnesota, right? yes, i! da land of ten thousand lakes. the gopher state! so in conclusion, things are pretty dismal... you know what this room needs? a smile. who want to come with i? [ jimmy cliff's "c'mon, get happy" plays ] ♪ you guys are three minutes late. [ caribbean accent ] don't be no cloud on a sunny day! [ caribbean accent ] yeah, chill, winston. sir? respect boss man! [ laughter ] [ male announcer ] that's the power of german engineering. ♪ ♪ "love" a collection by prabal gurung,

exclusively at target. for a limited time. you know what, while we're waiting why don't we play a game of hide and seek? right now? yeah go hide. go on buddy. one, two... [ son ] come and find me! three! [ son ] are you even looking for me? i am looking! [ male announcer ] bite-sized chicken's grown up. kfc bites. freshly hand-breaded big bites of premium breast meat, seasoned in the colonel's original recipe. try 10 bites with an 8 piece meal for $19.99. [ son ] dad? [ male announcer ] today tastes so good. [ humming ] [ babbling ] the cheerios bandit got you again? [ both laugh ] ♪ the one and only, cheerios he went to jared. the ballet slippers? i used to dance. hearts? it's called the red hot love bead... oh. ...i've said too much.

[ female announcer ] celebrate life's unforgettable moments with pandora charms and bracelets. at jared, the galleria of jewelry. otherworldly things. but there are some things i've never seen before. this ge jet engine can understand 5,000 data samples per second. which is good for business. because planes use less fuel, spend less time on the ground and more time in the air. suddenly, faraway places don't seem so...far away. ♪ ♪ every little thing gonna go my way ♪ [ female announcer ] we've added a touch of philadelphia cream cheese to our kraft natural shredded cheese so you can bring a creamier melt to any morning. ♪ for hollywood's biggest stars. who is it for? it's for becky. now, he designs for the star in your life. neil lane bridal. hand-crafted rings.

at kay -- the number one jewelry store in america. ♪ every kiss begins with kay coming up, the steven tyler app? to help celebrities protect their identity. also, trying our hand at a very popular olympic sport. first a look at these messages and your local news and weather. >> i've been watching the videos all morning. to keep your underwear clean. this is another! ta-daa! try charmin ultra strong. it cleans so well and you can use up to four times less than the leading value brand. oh! there it is. thanks son. hey! [ female announcer ] charmin ultra strong has a duraclean texture that can help you get clean while still using less. and it's four times stronger versus the leading value brand. charmin ultra strong helps keep you and your underwear clean. we all go. why not enjoy the go with charmin ultra strong?

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gives you 1% cash back on all purchases, plus a 50% annual bonus. and everyone but her likes 50% more cash, but i have an idea. do you want a princess dress? yes. cupcakes? yes. do you want an etch-a-sketch? yes! do you want 50% more cash? no. you got talent. [ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card gives you 1% cash back on every purchase plus a 50% annual bonus on the cash you earn. it's the card for people who like more cash. what's in your wallet? i usually say that. so ditch the brown bag for something better. like our bacon ranch quesadillas or big mouth burger bites, served with soup or salad, and fries. starting at just 6 bucks, at chili's. one, for making my perfect cup of coffee. one for being the perfect neighbor. and one for no reason at all. ♪

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new this morning, a search for an armed robber near the university of maryland. that is not far from student housing and fraternity row. let's check the forecast. tom good morning to you. >> we have temperatures beginning to get above freezing as we approach 8:00. still below freezing around north and west of washington. cloudy highs in the 40s again. chillier here with increasing clouds.

some returns and milder. tom thank you. tom thank you. a look at traffic

i never knew he liked me. we'd have to keep it quiet. or we could just tell h.r. happy valentine's day. it would never work. try the new brownie batter donut. get any six donuts for $3.99. america runs on dunkin'. good morning. traveling inbound. delays 7 miles because of leesburg pike accident. blocking two center lanes. that is going to take you

8:00 now on this tuesday morning, february 5th, 2013. and a little bit of a chilly, blustery day on rockefeller plaza. we say hi to the fine folks who have stuck it out to say hello to us this morning. i'm savannah guthrie alongside matt lauer and al roker. we heard about the old body types, apple shapes, pear shapes for women. you can forget all those labels. we have new ones like lipstick shape. you can dress to impress no matter what your body type is on a budget. all right. the pros are in the house, inside right now, getting ready to talk about hot topics in the

news, including that tweet from senator john mccain that made a reference, some would say a joke, about the iranian president. we'll have more about that. of course, we continue our countdown to the winter olympics. we are going to be not strapping on any spandex. >> there we go. >> any chance to play that video. >> i sound like daffy duck. this morning we're going to get a lesson in curling, no spandex required. >> thank goodness for that. i don't know if you heard but matt and i are headed to chicago on friday for one of our field trips. send us your pictures, tell us what you love about the windy city. use #todaychicago. natalie is standing by with a look at all the headlines. good morning, natalie. >> good morning, matt, al and savannah. good morning, everyone. authorities are searching for possible explosives today in

an underground bunker where a school boy was held for seven d days. sheriff wally olson has described the child who has gone home now from the hospital. >> like a breath of fresh air. >> reporter: the kidnapper was also suspected of killing a school bus driver. officials say they used a camera to monitor activity in his bunker and moved in when they believed the boy was in imminent danger. japanese investigators say the battery that overheated on a boeing 787 dreamliner last month in japan showed evidence of the same chemical reaction that caused battery overheating on dreamliner in boston. all 50 of the 787s in operation worldwide have been grounded. but on monday, boeing asked the faa for permission to resume test flights. passengers say a tour bus driver was shouting that his brakes had failed moments before the crash in southern california sunday that killed at least seven people and injured dozens. officials are focusing on safety

records for the bus, which had been cited for 22 violations over the past year. a renewed effort to protect our nation's diplomats overseas. the senate has approved a $1.1 billion bill that would beef up security at u.s. embassies around the world, transferring funds no longer needed in iraq. the bill comes in the wake of the deadly terrorist attack in the u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya, last fall. it now heads to the house for approval. now for a look at what is trending today, our quick roundup of what has you talking online. the 2013 oscar nominees posed for a star-studded class photo at the pre-event monday. best actress nominee quvenzhane wallis had a seat right next to bradley cooper. she also posed for a couple of shots. jesse heiman is getting lots of

love on twitter from young ladies who say they're jealous of refaeli. some guys are even tweeting that jesse was the real winner of the super bowl and baltimore quarterback joe flacco should give up his mvp honors to heiman. and meanwhile he is described as sweet, friendly and, yes, ladies, single. will ferrell locked lips in this super bowl ad for old milwaukee beer that most people probably didn't see because it only aired in three cities. that's still better, though, than the ad he did last year, which only aired in north pl platte, nebraska. yeah, that is a kiss all right. 8:04 right now. let's go back outside to al for a check of your weather. >> pucker up. from highland

good morning it is cloudy and cold on this tuesday morning. we have snow sipping north of the metro area. 30 degrees in the rural areas.

later today into the low and mid 40s with cloud cover. chance of a flurry and clearing out of the sunday. highs in the mid and upper 40 >> and this is perfect weather, getting you ready for chicago. >> i know, exactly. brr. get those hand warmers out, feet warmers and everything warmers. thank you, al. "today's" professionals weigh in on the day's hot topics and then a real-life central perk for fans of "friends" and coffee. and then star katharine mcphee, live in our studio after these messages. this day calls you.

to fight chronic osteoarthritis pain. to fight chronic low back pain. to take action. to take the next step. today, you will know you did something for your pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is a pain reliever fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. anti-depressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not for children under 18. people taking maois, linezolid or thioridazine or with

uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. take the next step. talk to your doctor. cymbalta can help. you know what, while we're waiting why don't we play a game of hide and seek? right now? yeah go hide. go on buddy. one, two... [ son ] come and find me! three! [ son ] are you even looking for me? i am looking! [ male announcer ] bite-sized chicken's grown up. kfc bites. freshly hand-breaded big bites of premium breast meat,

seasoned in the colonel's original recipe. try 10 bites with an 8 piece meal for $19.99. [ son ] dad? [ male announcer ] today tastes so good. with just a few ingredients. simple, wholesome goodness. kellogg's. start simple, start right. a new installment of "today's" professionals. star jones, donny deutsch and dr. nancy snyderman are here to tackle the hot topics of the day. recently the iranian president, mahmoud ahmadinejad said he would like to go into space. that prompted a tweet from our own senator john mccain. so ahmadinejad wants to be the

first iranian in space. wasn't he just there last week? what he was referring to is that last week iranians managed to send a monkey into space. was this a legitimate joke, a joke that went too far? is it racist? >> i'll jump right in. i thought that the senator diminished himself by even making a joke like that. i know that we should lighten up in some ways, but the fact that we have to sit here and defend, if you will, the president of iran, with everything he has said and done to our country because mccain made a politically, incorrect stupid comment? >> i'm not defending ahmadinejad. >> he basically wants to annihilate israel, denies that the holocaust existed. we can call him anything we want. >> not on twitter. >> i can call him anything i want. >> he is a united states senator. have some decorum.

don't be an old, cranky dude on twitter. >> free speech issue and so therefore you would defend him? >> i don't want to defend him at all. i don't even like talking about him. >> when some people got up in arms over the tweet, senator mccain responded with another tweet, regarding iran's space tweet, lighten up, folks. can't everyone take a jake? republican congressman from michigan, of syrian-palestinian descent tweeted maybe you should wisen up and not make racist jokes. >> forget political correctness. we're worry ied to name a guy tt wants to annihilate israel? i'm sorry. >> do we really think that john mccain is on twitter or is this one of his aides? >> is it possible that people will not take this as a slam as this one individual, the

president of iran, but the culture of iranians in general. >> it's much ado about nothing. >> that's why the united states representative made the comment that he did. why even give somebody the opportunity to criticize you as racist by make a stupid comment. >> i can't believe you're not defending this in the first amendment. >> have you ever fired a gun? yes, in fact at camp david we do skeet shooting all the time. some people didn't believe him. they thought he was making it up. on the eve to this trip to minnesota, jay carney at the white house tweeted this photo, see if we can put it up right now, of the president doing just that, skeet shooting up at camp david. image guy, was this a smart photo to release? what's this all about? >> absolutely. by the way, we could put up 1,000 what i call contrived photos of him drinking beer and he doesn't drink beer. i don't have a problem with it. whether he skeet shooted once or 1,000 times, to come out and say

i'm not trying to take everybody's guns away. this is what we do in business. >> looks like a manly man. >> he wants to send out a signal. i am not anti-gun guy. >> look at the picture. look at the rifle. it is the most contrived thing. no, no, i understand. i could care less. >> in mom jeans, i just can't -- >> is that photo about i told the truth and the president doesn't lie or is that photo about what donny said, looking out to the people who are worried about second amendment issues, saying i'm not a guy who wants to take the guns away? >> it's more i'm more like you than you think i am because i don't want to take your gun as way. >> character matters when it comes to obama. for the president to show you, no, i don't lie. >> birth certificate a year or so ago shall this is the next step, that now the president always has to back up his words with proof? >> yes. >> that's why i said he shouldn't release any thing.

>> it was a bigger issue about i'm not taking your guns away. >> for the control room i'm skipping to the last one. a home in hawaii and now has put his name and energy behind a new law called the steven tyler act, being considered in the legislature there. it would allow people, mostly celebrity celebrities, to file civil suits against paparazzi to take photos of them in areas where they, quote, might otherwise expect privacy. >> like the beach. >> no. >> telephoto lens and shoots through the window of your home, that would then allow the celebrity to file a civil suit. legally speaking, is this a good idea or slippery slope? >> it is a slippery slope. although i would cheer for it, it's not the kind of thing that constitutionally is going to stand up. the reasonable expectation of privacy on a beach would not apply. but if you go to the trouble of putting a shrubbery up around your house, that's what the

argument is. i don't know if it will go through. >> i have a big issue with the boo hoo celebrities. they sign a deal -- i don't want to say with the devil. they basically use the press to their advantage when they want to and complain when it's invasive. >> we're talking in your backyard. >> in your living room, in your home, and a guy is on a boat out in the water using a telephoto lens to shoot through your window? >> a lot of celebrities will use their homes, do ten-page spreads. it cuts both ways. is it wrong? yes. but deal with it. >> when you invite somebody in to your home and tell them good-bye, they should leave. if you go to the trouble of moving to an island and building a moat around it, for goodness sake -- >> you're cutting very close to donny's life here. >> the moat and the island, i'm sorry. >> i think even -- i recognize that once you leave your home and you're on public property, all bets are off. but i get your deal with the devil sort of. but to think that you're in maui and you can't even walk on the

beach without someone being in your face. >> boohoo. boohoo. get over it. get over it. >> geez, donny, you have no heart. >> no, he just has enough money to be private. >> thank you, guys. up next, the "friends" super fan who built an exact replica of the central perk. where? we'll tell you, after this. it's the first diamond ever independently certified to be visibly brighter. it's perfect. it even fits. that's because... ♪ ...i already had it sized. will you marry me? [ female announcer ] the visibly brighter leo diamond, hand-crafted by the master diamond artisans at leo schachter. at kay, the number-one jewelry store in america. yes. ♪ every kiss begins with kay

a big treehouse or a small treehouse? if it's big enough, you can have a disco. oh yeah. [ male announcer ] it's not complicated. bigger is better. and at&t has the nation's largest 4g network. ♪ looks like your bags didn't make it. we'll send them to your hotel. [ sad music playing ] this is fun. [ sad music continues ] [ knock on door ] your bags, sir. thanks. both: finally! one taste, and you'll understand. enjoy delicious dunkin' donuts coffee anytime. best vacation ever! pick some up where you buy groceries. america runs on dunkin'.

with just a few ingredients. simple, wholesome goodness. kellogg's. start simple, start right. that i hit on something in life that i just love to do every single day. ♪ it's the way i've made my living for over 30 years. ♪ every time we leave the dock, it's an adventure. the one thing people might not realize when they're going into mcdonald's and they order the filet-o-fish sandwich... this is wild fish. this is where the alaskan pollock starts. it's just that simple. it's been nearly 20 years since rachel, ross, monica,

chandl chandler, joey and phoebe became everyone's "friends." now you can hang out at a replica of central perk. >> reporter: good morning from what i suspect is a rather familiar-looking coffee shop but this central perk is in downtown beijing. it's almost a decade since the last original episode of one of the most popular sitcoms of all time aired here on nbc. "friends" lives on in the heart of the chinese capital where a central perk has been built, goes by the name of gunther, cafe owner of the show. >> i'm crazy about "friends". >> reporter: he has watched all 236 episodes several times, looped on a large screen where his customers fight for a seat

on that infamous couch. all the servers go by the name of rachel. menu is inspired by the show. the infamous stolen cheesecake scene. >> if you eat your -- >> reporter: from season seven is a particular inspiration. >> a lot of people know this from "friends" in china. >> reporter: merely teenagers when the season ended but they're still attracted by the carefree friendship lifestyle. >> we admire their life. we want to be like one of the characters in the show. >> it's about the caring between friends. >> reporter: it's an appealing contrast to the often stressful and competitive world facing young chinese. there have even been five marriage proposals in beijing's

central perk, inspired by another famous scene. >> i really cried at that moment. >> reporter: other see "friends" as a tool for learning colloquial english. >> i like chandler. >> reporter: and most memorable scene. >> i think it's so touching. >> reporter: for china's gunther it's not so much a business but what he call a passion and a dream. >> there you go. enjoy. >> reporter: this place has proved to be so popular that gunther has opened a second central perk in shanghai. it may have been almost a decade since the last show but his passion is still shared by a legion of young chinese. i have to tell you guys, the cheesecake is great. >> thanks for trying for all of us, ian. we appreciate tiit. i an williams in beijing.

savannah? new ways to think about your body type to make your next shopping trip successful. "the wow factor: inside secrets for every body and budget." good morning. >> good morning. >> we're used to the old ways to describe it, pear shape, apple shape. you're giving new whims cal nic names to the body shape? >> yes. i want women to feel good about themselves and recognize shapes as fun and positive. who wants to be an apple or pear? you want to be a nice, fun shape. it doesn't matter whether you're a size 2 or 20. >> sunglasses shape. this is the jessica rabbit look? >> balanced curves. like a classic hourglass silhouette. sophia, kim epitomize this. but you can look top heavy. a great v neck is great for that shape.

>> the fragrance bottle. >> being smaller on top and bigger on the bottom half. a couple of things that you really have essentials in your wardrobe. beyonce, she's a perfect example of the fragrance bottle shape. it's really about making sure that you -- >> wider here, tinier here. >> here is what you want to look for, bright colored scarf. the reason it works so well, it draws all the attention to the top half of the body and light, bright color, drawing attention up toward the top half. >> boot cut jean? >> no fading, no tapering. and little flare out. that helps to balance the heavier bottom half. go for some kind of top that helps to broaden the shoulder line as well. looking for darker on the bottom, light on the top. >> our next shape is lipstick

shape. you say you're so skinny. >> this is a problem so many women have. envious about this shape. it can be very hard to dress. we're trying to create the illusion of curves where there aren't any. think about ruffles, anything with a little curve on it, ruffles, frill on it. those will help create curves in bikinis. when you go for a dress, look for nice looifb lines that help to create the illusionative curve. piping, seaming, anything like that will help to create a curvaceous shape if you don't have one. octavia spencer, cocktail ring shape. little bit of ruc hichlt ng across the tummy. looking to downplay the tummy

area. things like this are your best friends. >> you like a chunkier heel. >> if you have more of a -- less of a curvaceous waist, you want to go with thicker heels to help balance it out. >> heart pendant figure. >> when you're bigger on top and smaller on the bottom half. this is when you're slightly bigger on top. the trick for this one is balancing out the bottom half with a little flare on the bottom half. you want to add a little bit of flaer on the bottom half that creates an hourglass figure. another star who has the wow factor, actress katharine mcphee after your local news.

breaking news. good morning this is due to a crash east bound at 7. you are going to see three of your left lanes blocked. delays on 7 miles on the toll road. as you make your way to the best way, it is going to take you 22 minutes. delays in maryland you are jammed all the way to 16th street. that crash is cleared.

still seeing delays. >> tom is

good morning cloudy and cold. low to mid 30s and 40s. cloud cover and few peaks of sun. city tomorrow breezy and chilly

with highs in the 40s. except maybe 50 on sunday and monday. rain on friday and again on monday. that is the way it looks aaron. tune in at

>> it's 8:30 now on a tuesday morning, 5th day of february, 2012. a little breezy and snowy and cold out here, but enough of the whining. we're having a good time. and those people have been out here a lot longer than we v i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie, al roker and natalie

morales. nbc's hit show "smash" airs tonight, what we can expect from this season from its star katharine mcphee, who is warm and toasty inside our studio right now. and all our favorite comfort foods without all the calories. >> they've all lost a lot of weight. >> a lot of weight. we'll head over to the rink and get a lesson in -- >> oh! >> -- i'm sorry, curling. we'll be sweeping with brooms. >> i want to use one of those dyson vacuums. >> savannah has been watching the tutorials. >> i know. >> we have the advantage. >> okay. also coming up, tiffani thiessen, remember her, the star of "saved by the bell" and also "beverly hills 90210" currently now on the usa networks "white

collar." she'll be helping us out in the 9:00 hour. and we've got a '90s trivia quiz with her as well. >> mr. roker, what about a check of the weather? >> you need your winter coat this morning. right now we are in the low to mid 30s around the metro area. in the areas north and west of washington it is below freezing. later today mid 40s with a lot of cloudiness. overnight tonight might have a

flury. blustery windchilly on thursday. >> check that weather any time you need it. go to weather channel on cable or weather.com online. >> okay, mr. roker. inside, katharine mcphee, the star of "smash." we'll talk about season number two. she'll do that with savannah. but first

back now at 8:35 with a sneak peek of nbc's hit show "smash." katharine mcphee place an actress who lands the role of marilyn monroe. ♪ memories but they've all come until we're gone so give me a kiss and moving

on ♪ >> hey, marilyn. >> hey. >> katharine mcphee, good morning to you. >> morning to you, too. >> i want to talk about "smash" in a moment. i know you were at the super bowl. 49ers fan. >> 49ers didn't make it. but it was a blast. >> were you on the side with power or without power? >> if you were in dome it didn't feel like you lost complete power but apparently if you were outside, like in the bathrooms or lobby, it was completely pitch black. tha thankfully, i was watching the game. >> made for some excitement for sure. let's talk about "smash." your character is playing somebody who is getting her first big break in the industry. in some ways life imitates art. we've known you as a singer but also an actress. >> it's amazing. i had such a great time the

first season. that really was karen's first -- her story in the first season was all about her overcoming being green and not so much naive, but more green. and this season, season two, it's really exciting to kind of see her take some initiative. and she's now marilyn and she's going to hopefully be going to broadway and she's finding another opportunity to start another show on the side. in hollywood -- or in business, not hollywood but broadway, too, you have to keep your options open. nothing is guaranteed. >> have a few irons in the fire. >> that's kairp's focus in season two, keeping things going. >> was it a confidence boost to have that first season under your belt? >> i think so. season two is a totally different experience than season one. i think season one i was so focused on knowing my lines, being as good as i possibly can be. that's always a focus no matter what you do, but in season two, you think about different things like, okay, let's play with my hair a little bit more. let's try this costume or -- you

know, your mind has a little bit more space for other things because you do feel a little more confident. i'm excited. >> you have jennifer hudson returning. >> yeah. >> extended guest appearance. is it fun to work with her? >> it was a blast to work with her. she is super professional and was just so dedicated to do a great job and i really respected that. >> you got the "american idol" bond with her. >> we do. we didn't really talk about that. i wanted to kind of give her her space. i didn't want to bombard her with questions and things. she's lovely and she's amazing, as you can see. >> in the show, the broadway musical is actually headed to broadway. so no more drama, right? everything is fine? >> no more drama. when i say no more drama, i mean lots of drama. >> we will see tonight. katharine mcphee, thank you so much. the two-hour season of "smash" airs tonight 9:00, 8:00 central time right here on nbc. and katharine is going to stick around and talk with kathie lee

and hoda a lite later on. public observation deck just op opened at the shard, london's highest building. ben fogle joins us there. >> reporter: it's just been joined by this a newer, taller, glassier version, new tower of london, the shard. it's ever changing canvas. you blink and a new building appears. a lot of people look at this and go it's not finished. >> it does tend to look a little unfinished. none the worse for that, it's marvelously visible from all over london. >> reporter: it looks pretty striking from this distance. should we have a look at it from the closer up? >> can't wait. >> reporter: let's go. shall we go up? >> sounds like a good idea. let's go. >> reporter: we're heading to

the viewing platform 800 feet above london. >> thank you very much. that's fantastic. >> reporter: what i find amazing, i have lived in london all my life. i've never seen it from this perspective. we've got a 365 view. >> i know. >> famous gerkin i recognize. >> remarkable view of the tower of london, isn't it? >> reporter: in the distance i can see the olympic sites. we have this brand new building, state-of-the art and we've got some of the oldist buildings. >> yes. it's exciting, isn't it? >> reporter: canary walk. right to the very edge of the city. do you like this building? >> i absolutely love it. i think it's brave. i think it's very well tailored, very well considered. it's exciting. >> reporter: it certainly stands out. >> it seems to be a universal ambition of mankind to want to build high.

>> reporter: now he either has the best or the worst job, depending on whether you're scared of heights. we can now head up to the open air section. i have to say loving adventure, i loathe parachutes. it's cold up here. i can feel the wind. this is what is nicknamed the shard, the top. >> london at night. changing and evolving for thousands of years. the shard not only adds to the skyline but it gives off a whole new perspective of this beautiful city. well, matt, i can tell you, the views really are quite spectacular. it's quite romantic up there. valentine's day soon, i'll be taking my wife. got your ticket?

>> sounds like a good idea. ben fogle in london. thank you very much. up next, your favorite comfort foods but at only 350 calories or less.

this morning in "today's" kitchen, what's for dinner? we're making your favorite comfort foods a lot lighter. in his new book "from mama's table to mine," bobby deen transforms his mother's classics into leaner versions. when your mom taught you these comfort food dishes, she gave you the high octane version. >> yeah. really traditional comfort foods, lot of creams, lot of butter. we fry a lot of things. >> were you always a bit of a renegade? when you looked at the way your family cooked and ate, did it

always kind of bother you? >> no. i'm 42 now. at 30 i realized that i needed to get back in the gym and i wanted to change the way that i looked and felt. when i began to embrace exercise, it changed the way that i looked at food. it sort of changed my relationship with food. >> let's take a look at the classic recipes you now make without a lot of calories, sodium and salt. >> we do a lot of one-pot dishes in the south. we've lightened this up by using a two-pound turkey breast. it's boneless, skinless, white meat. we're using low sodium chicken broth. something interesting about low sodium chicken broth. half a cup of this has 16 calories and zero grams of fat. what i've done in this book with most recipes is find the major culprits and either dial them back or replace them with earthy, fresh flavors. >> we braise the turkey first. >> turkey is out. hit it on all sides, got it nice and dark.

after that go in goes our onion. >> using the drippings from the turkey. >> boneless, skinless, it's really lean. >> little fat in there. >> that's the reason for the chicken broth and orange juice. get the liquid. three minutes with these onios.s we're not going to do that in real time actually, but to that we'll add our chicken broth. pour that in if you will, orange juice. we've got thyme. but you could use sage, your main flavor. you could use thyme or sage, that's rosemary. add to it our garlic. we may have done this in the wrong order but it will all come together. >> that's okay. >> to that add butternut squash. cook it for 35, 40 minutes until the butternut squash is nice and soft. it will end up looking like this. i'm going to ask you to add our cornstarch and mix a little slurry. >> we're not making gravy.

>> no. >> but just a slurry here. >> lot of fat, calories and sodium in that gravy. it will be nice and light. you can feel better about eating this every day. and then right over our turkey, butternut squash. >> smells fantastic. >> i want you to try it. >> that now a total of how many calories? >> 350 calories per serving, or less, on all these recipes. we lost 1,000 calories from the original. >> a lighter take on spinach and artichoke dip. how did you get rid of the calories and fat there? >> using low fat mayonnaise, i use a lot of greek yogurt. fresh pita chips you can make at home. red velvet cake. the secret here is neufachel cheese. in america we do it with milk and heavy cream.

french do it with milk only so it's naturally lighter. >> bobby deen, thank you. the book again is "from ma am's table to mine." we're learning the sport of curling live on rockefeller

almost tastes like one of jack's cereals. fiber one. uh, forgot jack's cereal. [ jack ] what's for breakfast? um... try the number one! yeah, this is pretty good. [ male announcer ] over a third of a day's fiber. fiber one. ♪ shimmy, shimmy chocolate. ♪ shimmy, shimmy chocolate. ♪ we, we chocolate cross over. ♪ yeah, we chocolate cross over. ♪ [ male announcer ] introducing fiber one 80 calorie chocolate cereal. ♪ chocolate. >> announcer: "today's" one year to sochi is brought to you by mcdonald's. i'm lovin' it.

and we are back with more of our countdown to "today" in sochi with the liolympic games just 12 months away, we have decided to come over to the rockefeller center rink and try the age-old sport of curling. joining us now, 2014 hopefuls. three of you were bronze medalists in curling, the only u.s. olympic team to ever get a medal in curling. how do you like your chances for next year? go good? >> yeah, pretty good. >> we're getting ready. we're off to our best season so far. we're ready for it. >> you want to give us a little demonstration. we're going to be sweeping for you guys? >> yep. >> it requires a lot of skill and strategy, right?

>> so for the sweepers, what's the strategy? >> basically just get within a couple of feet of the rock and the purpose of sweeping is to make it go furtherer and a little bit straighter. >> you're kind of melt iing the top layer of the ice, right is this. >> polishing. >> polishing the ice. >> do you think that we can curl? >> absolutely. >> we're going to break up into teams, girls versus guy. >> here we go. >> little competition. >> a vacuum, is that going to help me in this? >> you're way ahead. >> his nickname is dyson. >> where are we going? >> we've got pete and ryan with us and you have sean and joe with you guys. >> okay. >> one on each side. >> yep.

>> not to bump each other. just move it back and forth. >> move it sideways or -- >> we have to kick the rock off. >> let me get out of the way. >> stand over here a little bit so he can get going. >> kind of see me. >> are we doing this competitively here? >> stand on this side. >> okay. >> i have to go on this side. go ahead. we're ready. >> wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. can we get a do over? >> you knock over the bowling pin. >> that was like first try. >> no, you've been disqualified. >> we get a mulligan, matt.

>> one more. >> give them one more. >> okay. so careful. >> good job. good job. >> excellent. >> okay, guthrie, pretty good. >> start down -- he needs a little -- okay. here we go. >> come on over here. come on over here. >> little more. one more. we get another one. we get another one. >> mulligan.

>> that's the problem. we're going to give you a little space here. >> 30 seconds. >> guys, 30 seconds. >> make it happen. >> i like it. i like it. >> whoa! >> who wins? >> we did. we did. >> we're back after your local news and weather.

8:56 is your time now. accident on the duelles toll way has cleared. still slow. the earlier accident was at 7.

delays as you make your way from 28. jammed as you make your way towards the beltway. it is slow. average speed 25 miles per hour. that improved earlier. it was 15 miles per hour. over to the beltway. slow in montgomery county. we will check y

good morning cloudy in the 30s now around the metro area. highs into the 40s. a lot of cloudiness. highs in the 40s again. could get rain on friday. sun back over the weekend and up near 50. >> all right tom don't forget to tune

>> so it begins. >> welcome back to more of "today" on this tuesday morning, february 5 th, 2013. inside studio 1a, i'm willie geist alongside natalie morales, al roker and tiffani thiessen. more importantly and more current, she co-stars in the hit show "white collar" on usa network. new episode tonight on usa at 10:00, 9:00 central. great to have you here. we'll keep you busy. we've got wild animals.

>> love that. >> we'll go upstairs and cook. >> love that. >> and trivia game for you. >> an opportunity to be killed and also you get to eat. >> we're reliving the '90s so this should be right up your alley. >> and there's a 12-foot python over there. >> i want that right here. i do. >> what's it like being on "white collar"? >> it's great. it seems to get more and more exciting every season. and i say this all the time. i truly am blessed to work with the nicest people in the business. and we get to work in your city. >> so how dreamy is matt? >> natalie was saying she gets lost in his eyes. >> so do you, willie. >> it's impossible. >> watch the promos. >> throw up your hands and give up. >> it used to be all about my blue eyes. now it's his. whatever. >> need gps just to get by.

>> the show just renewed for a fifth season. big success. there's a plot little bit. >> basically an unlikely partnership between an fbi agent and a con artist and how they work together to solve the white collar crimes. >> you play the wife of the fbi agent. >> who has a sort of soft spot for the con man? >> she's the voice of reason on the show, seeing both sides and constantly trying to make them work even better. it's a marriag they're married as well. >> speaking of a marriage, you're also a mom, married. and you have the 2 1/2-year-old daughter. >> i do, harper, yeahd is that it all? i'm sure you get that question all the time. >> as most moms do. there she is, my little peanut. adorable. >> so cute. >> she is cute. >> looks a lot like you. >> she has a good mixture of both my husband and i, which is kind of fun. you know what? she has been coming to new york and traveling since she was 6 weeks old. she doesn't know any different. i like to have her with me all

the time. if it's a short trip, i keep her home but she comes to us with new york every time we come. >> and she's sparing you the terrible 2twos you said, so far >> she's been good but i hear that the threes are harder. >> totally. >> we'll have a different conversation next year. >> little summer fun. >> she's a feisty little one, too. >> you can see a new episode of "white collar" tonight at 10:00 on usa. tiffani will help us out with our take three. new jersey governor chris christie last night was on with letterman for the first time. he says he has long admired letterman and doesn't mind all the fat jokes that letterman has endlessly made. >> i've made jokes about you, not just one or two, not just ongoing, here or there, intermittent, but --

>> i didn't know this was going to be this long. >> break for the donut because the interview was so long. >> i love it. >> he says, look, if the joke is funny, i laugh. even if it's about me. he pulled out a couple of jokes from dave's past shows and read them out loud. he defuses all this with humor. he is aware of the problem, as you talked about. >> a lot of us who struggle with weight feel that the best defense is an offense. you can laugh at yourself before others laugh at you, then you kind of take some of the sting out of it. >> interesting. barbara walters, you remember the interview she did last year when she asked if he was too fat to be president. he took issue with that. >> well, sure. that wasn't a joke. >> it wasn't a joke. >> and he says he's healthy. his blood pressure is where it should be. >> and those are the things that are most important. >> it's a personal decision. and when -- if he decides he's going to do something about that, he will do it, given he --

this is a guy, you can tell, when he makes up his mind about something, he does. >> funny is sexy, i'm sorry, at any size. >> there you go. >> he has talked over the years about all the diets he has tried. i guess he just -- he knows he has to deal with it, but he obviously has to find what works for him. >> he does work out. he said, despite that work, he worries about what he eats. but there are real questions. if he wants to be president, he is viewed nationally as the leader of the republican party. i think if he didn't weigh what he weighed right now he would be talked about as a shoo in for the nominee. >> it worked for william taft. >> it did. couldn't get him out of that bathtub, though, could they? >> there are down sides. that's why you have secret service now. >> yeah. >> is that what they're there for? >> come in with a couple of tubs of butter and there you go. >> oh, no. oh, no. definitely secret service. >> exactly.

take two, talking a little beyonce. turns out it wasn't exactly her fault, the blackout. although i think we should keep pushing that narrative. good for her, she shut the lights down at the super bowl. >> it wasn't as if they had half-time shows before. >> she was so good she shut the lights out. >> it was lights out. >> she announced plans for a new tour called the mrs. carter tour. she has been very private. sean carter, jay-z's real name. she's calling herself mrs. carter. feels like she's getting a little more public. >> little bit. >> a lot of people get to see them more as a couple. >> it begs the question of changing your last name if you're well known or not so well known. some women prefer to keep their maiden name. >> i changed my name literally, legally, but professionally i kept thiessen.

>> i'm the same way. >> on my driver's license it says tiffani smith on it. >> i changed my last any time to geist. >> what's the value? beyond the obvious of keeping thiessen professionally? do you ever think about going with your married name professionally? >> i honestly didn't, because i have had it my whole entire life and that's what people know me for. >> once you build a profile and work so hard to get to be known as that person, it's really hard to take your spouse's last name. although in my case, my husband really wanted me to take his last name. so legally -- >> legally, i did. absolutely. >> would you change it if it was a better last name? >> maybe. there's a lot of smiths out there. >> why didn't you take your wife's name? >> my wife's maiden name was sharkey, which i think is a great name. willie sharkey. i probably should have gone the other way.

>> there's another bill geist out there. >> exactly. >> you should drop willie and just go sharkey. >> sharkey. >> forget the first name. >> just sharkey. >> guys can do it, too. we talked about this before. out in l.a. they're doing this a lot, find a combo name, right? >> i'm going with the full rebrand. i like that. >> sharkey from now. >> shark boy. >> take three is a good one. it's about parental control. is it okay to post naked pictures of your babies on social media sites? we're talking about pictures of the kids getting out of the bath or something a little artistic, perhaps. >> no. >> this is a big conversation on our "today's" mom's blog. you say no, al? >> no. >> not at all, ever? >> very protective. >> no, no, no. >> i don't even post my kids' photos on facebook and all that. there's too many unknowns out there. >> i just think anybody -- you shouldn't do it. you know, there are too many

people out there and it will be out there forever. >> kids not clothed. >> it's one thing to send it to your parents, grandparents. >> absolutely. >> keep it internally? >> potty training, here it is. >> with the college coach when he had it on his phone, that whole story was -- i have some of that stuff on my phone. >> that was a bizarre -- >> where's my phone? where's my phone? >> exactly. >> but i felt bad for him. that was a private -- that's his phone, but -- >> you're talking about minnesota college football coach who had pictures and video of his own children. >> taking a bath. >> turned in the phone to tech support at the school to fix something else, and he was actually charged with child pornography. he was cleared later. >> he was cleared but lost his job. >> and now he has that stigma. >> tiffani will stick around. we're going to handle some animals in a moment. first, natalie has the headlines. alabama boy rescued monday after a six-day hostage standoff has gone home from the hospital.

authorities stormed the bunker where he was held. jimmy lee dykes, also suspected of killing a bus driver, was found dead. a camera was used to monitor the activity in the bunker and decided to move in when they felt the boy was in imminent danger. president obama is hosting separate white house meetings today with business and labor leaders to discuss immigration reform. on monday he took his push for tougher gun laws on the road, appearing with police officers in minneapolis to highlight that city's progress against gun violence. and last night, the president signed a debt limit bill that temporarily suspends the cap on federal borrowing and delays the possibility of default. a renewed effort to protect our nation's diplomats overseas, the senate approved a $1.1 billion bill that would beef up security at u.s. embassies around the world, transferring funds no longer needed in iraq. the bill comes in the wake of the deadly terror attack in benghazi, libya, last fall. it now heads to the house for

approval. japanese investigators say the battery that overheated on a boeing 787 dreamliner last month in japan showed evidence of the same chemical reaction that caused battery overheating on a dreamliner in boston. all 50 of the 787s in operation worldwide have been grounded, but on monday boeing asked the faa for permission to resume test flights. incredible triumph over adversity for skateboarder tommy carroll, who is completely blind. he lost his sight to rhett nal cancer at the age of 2. his only prosthetics is where his eyes used to be. he started skating in third grade and hasn't stopped since. he says he uses his hearing to orient himself as he moves around the skate park. although he sometimes fall, he always gets back up. the worst he has ever done, he says, is chip a tooth. pretty amazing. if you're still feeling stuffed from your super bowl pig-out session, imagine how this guy feels, that is e

competitive eating champion kobayashi. he beat his previous record by about ten seconds. i don't think i would look at a pizza again after that. >> i keep thinking pepto bismol. >> he does it all, hot dogs. >> very strategic about how they place them in their mouth. >> dip the dog. >> wet the bun first. >> how are those cheerios this morning? >> cold pizza. >> natalie, thanks. al, how about a quick check of the weather? >> let's see what

mostly cloudy and cold on this tuesday morning. the 5th day of feb, right now, we are into the low to mid 30s around the metro area. we are boeing to have temperatures into the mid 40s. little sun maybe poking out from time to time and cloudy tonight. maybe a few flurries and tomorrow sunny. 40s on thursday. cooler. rain on friday and the sun >> and that's your latest weather. >> al is very excited because there are lemurs waiting for us there. >> king julian. >> lemurs, pythons, when we come back. [ female announcer ] imagine skin so healthy, it never gets dry again.

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this morning on "today's" call of the wild, animals facing extinction. julie is busch gardens and sea world representative. good to see you. >> glad to be here. we have an endangered species in our lemur. this is an animal that is found only in one spot in the entire world and who knows where that is? >> madagascar. >> all hail the new york giants. >> hello, king julian. >> these guys are one of the largest species of lemurs. unfortunately, they need forest s. they need trees, which will produce large fruit. they're basically fruit eaters and leaf eaters and 90% of madagascar has already been deforested. and also, unfortunately, they're

hunted because they're a very poor people. that's one way they get protein. it's hard to imagine that anybody would certainly want to harm this type of animal in any way. but there are things that we can do. >> what's that? >> learning about -- that's not really polite. >> no manners, sorry. >> all lemurs do that when we get together. >> and ensure that we don't buy tropical hardwood. that's where they live. at least we don't get that illegal logging. we want to buy sustainable wood. and don't buy rosewood, teak and mahogany. that will help. >> natalie's favorite. >> you guys, squish together a little bit. >> head coming right to me. >> right to you. >> keep it coming. keep it coming. >> look at the size of this animal. >> you're going to have to hold

your end up. >> you have to hold your end up. >> i don't like snakes. >> she's actually from sea world in texas, one of our ambassador animals that kids get a chance to meet as well. >> wow! >> kids learn that snakes aren't as frightening as they seem to be. >> how much does this one eat? i want to know how much this eats. >> that is actually a constrictor. he doesn't have any venom. this one in particular is about 12 feet long. he eats something as large as a rabbit or something like that. but in the wild -- >> what's up, doc? >> in the wild, they grow to be 20 feet long and thick around as a telephone pole. they can eat wild boar and deer. they actually can come unhinged. >> why are they facing stipulation? >> that's a great question, al. they're hunted both for their skin, for their meat, for pet

trade. all those types of things. and, of course, habitat loss. they live in southeast asia. many of those forests are getting cut down. there's no place to go. i was in cambodia in december, working with an organization called wildlife alliance. they just rescued 60 of these animals and we released them back into the wild. it was actually a great experienc experience. >> we have an african brown horn bell. >> hold your arm out. put your palm up just like this. and we're going to call tuffs over there on your left-hand side. come on over here. >> come on. >> he is a very large bird. spends most of his time on the ground. and here he comes. >> there he is. >> whoa! >> yes! >> awesome.

>> wow! >> look at that bird. isn't that impressive? >> look at the eyelashes. >> they actually do eat meats and things like that. >> oh, look at that. >> mice that they find, insects. they go along the ground and try to find all the different types of little things that they can -- anything that they can find on the ground. >> they look pretty primitive. are they? do they go back centuries? >> they are prehistoric. >> prehistoric, yeah. >> let's get the groundhog in there. >> i want his eyelashes. >> i know. >> beautiful. wait a minute, my time isn't up yet! actually having a hard time in the wild because they don't prere produce very often. after all those endangered animals, we should bring something that's not, right? this is our own little north american groundhog. they're very, very common. but they're also very beneficial. they aerate the soil. >> they predict the weather. >> that's right. so he is important to have

around as well, just like all of our other north american animal s. if we all pay attention we can help these animals survive. >> it's going to be an early spring. >> it's also national pet month. not that these are pets but we all have pets at home and we have to be responsible to make sure they get taken care of, too. you can take the initiative and pledge to make sure you take care of your animals. being parents i know we forget about our animals. >> get your pets from shelters around the country. >> not to be confused but coming up, one-pot meals. first, these messages. i'm serious, we compare our direct rates side by side to find you a great deal, even if it's not with us. [ ding ] oh, that's helpful! well, our company does that, too. actually, we invented that.

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coming up, colleges that give you your best bang for your buck. and tv trivia with active tiffani. name this tune. what show? >> "friends." >> that's too easy. >> they get harder. >> first your local news and weather. gonna go my way ♪ ♪ i woke up to a light bulb on ♪ every little thing is possible now ♪ [ female announcer ] we've added a touch of philadelphia cream cheese to our kraft natural shredded cheese so you can bring a creamier melt to any morning. ♪ life is amazing with the love that i've found ♪ ♪

♪ shimmy, shimmy chocolate. ♪ shimmy, shimmy chocolate. ♪ we, we chocolate cross over. ♪ yeah, we chocolate cross over. ♪ [ male announcer ] introducing fiber one 80 calorie chocolate cereal. ♪ chocolate. good tuesday morning. it is 9:26 on this february 5th. overcast start to the day. tom is here with the forecast. >> little sunshine east of washington and far west. otherwise, a lot of cloudiness. highs today mid 40s. maybe a flurry tonight. small chance of that. highs mid and upper 40s. clouds on thursday, could get rain on friday. over the weekend sun returns. monday could get some more rain. that is the way it looks,

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i love these people. ♪ and it's beautiful police are responding to an accident here. please use caution if you are traveling in the area. accident eastbound at 7 it is gone. still seeing delays but they are

disappoisipating that drive is to take you about 12 minutes. over to colesmill road. these people are stopping at a light. but as you make your

♪ it's the super bowl ad you probably didn't see, nor did you want to. will ferrell, locking lips in a commercial for old milwaukee beer, airing in only three cities, sherman, texas, ardmore, oklahoma, and glendot, oklahoma. it's kind of the paragraphody of the go daddy. pretty cool.

i'm al roker, along with willie geist, natalie morales and actress tiffani thiessen, hanging out with us this morning. >> thanks for having me. >> did you have to kiss him? >> i did the movie "ladies man." >> tiffani will be sticking around to play a little game of tv trivia through the decade. who knows, tiffani just might be the answer to some of the questions. we've got "white collar," "saved by the bell," "90210." let's practice really quick, which beach club did the gang work at over the summer? >> i know this. do you? >> no. >> girls against guys again. >> got it. >> also ahead, the scottos will make your life easier with delicious one-pot meals. we'll join them in the kitchen.

before we get to all of that, let's get a check of the weather with mr. al roker. >> starting off with today, a good morning mostly cloudy cold, temperatures are above freezing into the mid 30s now. we are past 9:30 in the morning. above freezing farther north and west. we will be climbing into the mid 40s during the afternoon hours. we'll have a lot of cloudiness.

the sun returning on thursday. highs in the 40s cooler thursday. looking >> and that's your latest weather. natalie? >> al, thank you. with student loan debt on the rise, princeton review and usa today take a closer look at college costs and compiled a list of the best private and public schools for the money. senior vice president of the princeton review and author of "the best value colleges." welcome back, rob. >> thanks for having me back. >> good to have you here. we're going to talk private and public schools. when it comes to value what do you look for? >> we started with 2,000 different undergraduate schools and put them through 30 different academic costs and financial aid were the three big buckets. but weren't making their family's mortgages pay for their future. >> good to know. at number five, university of california, los angeles.

>> perennial princeton review favorite. but it's a big school, 26,000 students. when we start to think about the average cost, $23,800. real cost of attendance. >> in-state tuition. >> for a california kid. minus average freshman grant, money they don't have to pay back, $16,100, bringing the cost down to $7,700. >> the college of william & mary, number three. the new college of florida in sarasota, michael jordan's alma mater. talk about a bargain. how much of a bargain is this school? >> $17,400 minus $12,900 average freshman grant, $4,500. lined with gold, chapel hill. >> you just have to get in if you're out of state. >> which is hard, no doubt. >> the same thing with number one on that list. biggest bang for your buck is university of virginia, again. so public school. what makes this the big public school bargain? >> spectacular value. we start to look at the numbers.

we bring it down to $3,400 for an average student coming from virginia. >> private schools really quickly, pomona college in clairemont, california. students love it there. it's a beautiful campus. >> oh, yeah. >> princeton university, no connection to princeton review, williams college in massachusetts and number two, harvard college. we should mention. and number one, for the private colleges, swarthmore college in pennsylvania. how much are students paying here when you consider how much aid they're being granted? >> swarthmore, a big sticker price, bringing it down to about $18, 00 for the average student. so many schools, as you mentioned, are giving out 100% of the student fees, not forcing them to take out dollar one in student loans. >> they can use some of that aid to travel overseas is this. >> study abroad programs, experience for learning within

the states as well. these schools are love letters when it comes to financial aid and not forcing a student to take out a loan. >> bob franik, always great information. >> the scottos, after this. copd makes it hard to breathe, but with advair, i'm breathing better. so now i can be in the scene. advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair.

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done with shrimp. risotto is done with italian rice, chicken broth. you have to do tender loving care. >> it takes a lot of time, too. >> it takes a lot of time. you have to stand by the saute pot. this is our star this morning, italian wedding soup. that has been in our family for years and years and years. now every wedding, italian wedding soup. and we even begin valentine's day in the restaurant with italian wedding soup. of course. so we start with our onion and our garlic. we saute. >> nice and brown. >> and then we do celery carrot squash. any vegetable. >> can you quarter them any size? >> i like it diced. it cooks faster. and then you put your chicken broth in. this is two quarts. you let it stay a while. we can't let it stay too long. these are my meatballs. again, the meatballs are done in

the soup. they're half chicken and half veal and a little grated cheese and pepper. soup shoulding boiling when you put it in. it cooks about ten minutes, that's all. it's bite sized. valentine's day, you know. you can't chew too much. >> there is garlic in there. you have to be careful. >> no, no, not in the meatballs, no! just in the foundation. >> right, right, right. >> and as she pointed out, this is okay for a second wedding. >> are you married, will? >> i am, yes. >> okay, forget it. >> we were going to have it at the restaurant but now forget it. >> i was going to cook you a pot if you were getting married. go ahead, go on down. >> all right. what's next? >> what's next? >> i love short bread. >> one pot. we have this on valentine's day at fresco.

i brown off the short ribs. using all the gristle, garlic and onion, cook that down for a couple of minutes. add a little beef stock. >> beautiful. >> take a little bit of that red wine you have there, please. >> okay. >> thank you so much, sir. and then we'll let that settle down for about -- we'll put the beef back in, i apologize. cover it for about half an hour, 45 minutes. let it simmer. you go back. an hour before you serve this, add all your vengetables. cover again one hour. sorry. cover for one hour, salt and pepper. >> so an hour after the vegetables? >> an hour and an hour again. >> after the vegetables. >> absolutely delicious. >> i love short ribs. >> here is the deal. sausage, peppers, onions, potatoes, classic. >> you got me here. >> even though it's one pot it still takes a bit longer to cook than any of these other dishes.

>> okay. >> i brown my sausage. i use my oil from the sausages now to cook my onion. so the idea is you cook each thing individually and now i will do the peppers. and once everything is done, we'll also do the potatoes, another round. my family took up all the time, so we probably won't get to the peppers. >> it was the wedding soup. >> don't you love family businesses? >> i'm going on my second wedding. mom told me no meatballs. >> oh, take out the meatballs. >> i swear, willie -- >> spent all the money on the first wedding, i'm taking the meat out. anyway, put everything back in the pot. ba balsamiv vinegar to give it a little sweetness. >> looks gorgeous. >> it tastes even better the next day. >> you can make sandwiches out of that. >> you have done it again. fresco by scotto, with the first

wedding. got it. thank you, guys. >> thank you. >> up next, tv trivia, right after this. tell me you love m. tell me i'm beautiful. tell me we'll grow old together. in sickness and in health. tell me that i'm still the one. that you need me. that i'm your super hero! tell me you'll never let me go. tell me you miss me. that's all i need. [ female announcer ] for everything they need to hear this valentine's day, there's a hallmark card. progress-oh! [ female announcer ] with 40 delicious progresso soups at 100 calories or less, there are plenty of reasons

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because nourished hair can keep color vibrant for up to 8 weeks. new dove color care. keep the color vibrant, keep the feeling. this morning, we're going to put our friend, tiffani thiessen to the test. replica of the save by the bell diner. we really went all out on this one. it will be tiffani and natalie versus willie. >> i have an advantage. >> i get sharkey. >> first question, which actor -- >> hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! whoa! what is going on here? >> how are you, sir? >> can i just say hi real quick. >> can you believe this is happening? >> oh! >> you broke the -- >> i make an entrance. listen, al -- >> yes, sir? >> presidents call your name, vice presidents shake your hand. you don't have to host anymore.

you get to join willie. >> all right. thank you, sir. >> all right. >> and we're getting rid of al's question, just to be fair. hey, we're going to play "today" tv trivia. are you ready? >> we're ready, sir. >> multiple choice questions. wait till the last answer is read and then buzz in. which '70s tv family had eight kids? was it -- wait till the last answer to buzz in. >> sorry. >> my office now, al. okay. the brady family. a. b, the bradford family. c, the pat ridge family. d, the bundy family. now. al? >> the brady family. >> no. >> the partridge family. >> no. the answer i have is the bradford family. >> oh, yeah. >> that is no score for anyone. >> that would be "eight is enough." >> we're off to a great start. >> yes, we are. >> on the senior slapstick '80s comedy "golden girls," why did

sophia move in with dorothy, blanche and rose? was it a, she lost all her money, b, she gambled her house away, c, her retirement home burned down, d, she was lonely? answer now. >> tiffani? >> c. >> that is correct. >> wow! >> man. >> yes, sir. >> that is a mom. >> i get really competitive. >> that's a mom for you right there. >> i am not a good loser. >> willie, you've got your work cut out for you. >> claire danes is now famous for her portrayal of an unhinged cia operative in the hit series "homeland." what '90s tv show did she get her start on? >> a. >> that is correct. what the heck? we didn't need those other answers. oh, somebody might know this one. on "90210." >> i'm a big fan.

>> so am i. where tiffani played the lovely yet conniving valerie in the later seasons, what was the name of the gang's popular after-school hangout? willie wants the answer. >> the peach pit. >> changing the rules. >> forget about it. >> we can do whatever you want? >> you can do whatever you want. natalie, for you, whatever you want. >> oh, thank you. >> which melodrama used the following tagline, lying, cheating, stealing, sechlt duction, backstabbing betrayal? >> melrose place or, as we call it, the fourth hour. >> i'm going to skip one question and dog to this. the theme song for "saved by the bell." i know, so sorry. became quite popular with kids sing i

singing along as it aired. i'm going to play a portion of the song for you. when the music stops, buzz in and give me the next two lines. ♪ i give myself a look i'm just in time to see the ♪ >> here it comes. ready? ♪ i know i'm in a mess but my dog ate all my homework last night ♪ >> huh? >> riding low in my chair. >> you know this? >> i don't know it. >> he won't know if i'm there, i can hand it in tomorrow. >> tiffani is only four seasons away from "saved by the bell." >> we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc. [ male announcer #1 ] verizon fios

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good morning it is 9:57. let's go right to storm team four for a check on the forecast. good morning. as we approach 10:00. temperatures above freezing, we are getting into the upper 30s. farther south. and later today 40s around the

region. sunny back tomorrow and we'll have breezy we could get rain friday and the sun returns for the week end. >> tomorrow, checking the sde d accident, still seeing a little bit of vul yum. n now, it is off to the shoulder lane. nice and clear in both directions. no issues to report there. crossing the 14th street bridge. aaron? >> coming up on news4 midday. 4 common pain striger (woman) 3 days of walking to give a break cancer survivor a lifetime-- that's definitely a fair trade. it was such a beautiful experience. (jessica lee) ♪ and it's beautiful (woman) why walk 60 miles in the boldest breast cancer event in history? because your efforts help komen serve millions of women and men facing breast cancer every year.

visit the3day.org to register or to request more information today. it was 3 days of pure joy. ♪ and it's beautiful

. from nbc news this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> all right, everybody. this is "today." it's -- >> our last booze day tuesday. it's february 5th. >> boozeless tuesday. >> that's what i said. didn't i? whatever. it's one day, and i don't know what's happening tomorrow. >> we don't want to know. >> we heard it's going to be fun. this is another mocktail.

>> it's been mocking us for a month. >> doesn't even matter. who cares? >> blueberry pomgranite. not worth the trouble. >> thanks for making it. >> we're going to be in los angeles. we are leaving soon. we're going to be in l.a. we want you to come visit us, okay? we're going to be on there the welcome. >> come saturday and sunday. we are going to be taping at santa monica place. these are the dates and times, pacific time. don't get confused and show up the wrong time. it's saturday, february 9th. we're doing three shows. 10:00 a.m., noon, and 2:00. 10:00, 12:00, 2:00. >> sunday after church we're going to do two shows. >> then people aren't remembering all this. write it down. >> it's february 12th and wednesday, february 13th, we'll be at universal city. go to our website. this is too far in advance. no one is going to remember. >> the same time for tuesday and wednesday is like saturday and sunday, but it will all be on

our website. >> klgandhoda.com. >> we're going to have some fun, we think. >> we're going to have a blast. >> unless you're a hooker that works on weekends, we expect to see you at -- okay? santa monica and universal city. >> we've got to talk about this go daddy ad, and i know it's been on so much. here's the thing, let's talk about the essence. what is it about the act? a lot of people say they find the ad offensive? >> i think it's a little -- >> here we have bar rafaelli and this guy that are making out. people say i can't watch it, i cringe, i turn away. so -- >> so we're making you watch it yet again. >> we're seeing -- >> enjoy it, hoda. >> you said america wants to see more of this, then let's show a little more. >> here's the question. the question is this. why does it gross people out? >> let's do it in slow motion. really. slow motion. we can do that. >> but why?

what is it about -- now, if they were two people who -- if it was -- i'm asking. do people feel uncomfortable when they see a beautiful person and a not quite as beautiful person. >> beauty is in the eye of the beholder. i bet the mother of that boy thinks -- >> don't try to make me feel bad. these are questions that everyone turned away. here's a will ferrell ad. i'm not saying will ferrell is nott a hottie, but he is also making out with a woman who is looking out of a bus window, and then suddenly they go in for it. boom. >> now -- okay? now -- >> what is he, on a basketball jersey? >> he is on a bus. it's an old milwaukee's best commercial. >> beer. of course, it is. >> oh. now why is this something that people aren't, like, wow, that's hot turn-on? >> they have their clothes on. >> second of all -- >> different times in history -- i'll just describe it, explain it, the world view of beauty has been very different through the

years. remember when they used to do the -- like the heavy, very heavy set large bosom. that was considered hot, gorgeous. now all of a sudden it's the skinny -- it's people considered gorgeous or not. by today's standards br rafaelli is considered hot by today's starpdz. the young man that she is sucking face with -- >> he is kind of geeky. is it because of the imbalance? if you watch a soap opera or some other -- >> they are equally balanced, hoda-woman. >> let's watch some of this. >> we're going to watch making out for our whole show. >> nobody is saying that. they are right there on the ladder equally. i can't see the guy, but i think so from the back. >> it's about equal footing. okay. just wondering why everyone was so oohed out about the other one. >> they still seem to be. everybody keeps talking about how much this kid was paid to do the commercial. i asked our producers, find out

how much the girl was paid. >> so bad. >> although, i felt a little for the kid because it seemed exploitive of hem. >> he loved it. >> he is so happy. >> is he in heaven. >> he is getting calls. he is getting jobs. he has gone from -- >> please. >> he has gone from being like 63 movies he has been in as an extra. no speaking part. he will probably get in the next jonah hill movie or something. >> i bet you're right. >> he was here the other day. >> yeah. >> do you know what's similar? we should always take our cue from the person that is at the center of the controversy. if that kid is not upset about it, we shouldn't be. when governor christie was on david letterman. >> there's a funny bit. governor christie goes on letterman, i don't know if you saw this, and he gets thereon, and he -- now, letterman has always been making fun of christie and his weight. he came on and decided to give it back down to "dateline."

take a listen. >> i make jokes about you. not just one or two. not just ongoing here and there intermittent, but -- >> i didn't know this was going to be this long. >> here's two of them that we put together. first one was celebrity birthday today, chris christie turned 50, and he blew out the candles on his cake and blew out the candle on his cake and wished for another cake. this one i thought -- i don't know if this was one of your best ones, but i think it's topical given what went on yesterday. a billion dollars will be spent on potato chips for super bowl sunday, and that's just at governor christie's house. >> now, he seems to be -- he is having a lot of fun with it. >> he is having fun with it, and didn't he also say -- he said, listen, i'm the healthiest fat man you've ever met in your

life. >> he said his cholesterol was great, his blood sugar was great and everything. >> i happen to adore that man. i've only met hit one time. he just -- he -- i don't mean it this way, but he fills the room. i don't mean just bulk. everybody loves him. he is teasing. he is funny. i didn't even see him snacking on anything. he just has a great personality. >> i wonder if he -- you know sometimes you tell the jokes that someone else doesn't. >> you get ahead of it. >> you want to get ahead of it. i wonder if it at all hurts his feelings when he hears a lot of fat jokes. >> i can't imagine it's great to hear constantly. >> i think the best thing you can do is always be self-deprecating. i think in the privacy of anybody's life, and we've seen this a lot through the joy fit club, people that are that overweight have serious health issues ultimately. they just do. almost every single one of them would love to take a magic pill and be thin. for whatever reason.

it can be a cruel world, and a lot of bullying takes place because of it. >> i always cringe when i watch, like, a heavy set female comedian make fat jokes. i don't know why. i know that it's -- there's something about it that just makes me kind of cringe a little. i feel like the way he handled it on this show was great. i mean, i thought he really handled it. >> people in your life that have been teased and have had painful experiences, so you're sensitive to it. >> i think anyone who has ever been friends or known or been with someone that's overweight get the feeling, or if you have been there yourself and i have been there too and you think is that a funny thing? are they laughing at me wr? you feel eh. >> you err see the difference between hoda and myself, as if it's not obvious. we didn't have our cards ready today, so they brought us these. i just put mine nicely in front of me and -- >> i tore mine. okay? because i don't know why. >> i would love to have a psychiatrist tell us why.

i would totally consent with our nice, neat little pages that i could, like, do this to. pick them up, put them underneath of the next topic, but hoda has now no idea what the next topic is. she has a lot of empty pages that only get in the way, and why is my question. >> i wanted to cut it in half, but -- >> you know what they almost did? you know what i used to love to do as a kid? >> no, you didn't. this is going to take forever. >> i did this, and then -- >> if you are really careful, you can just do this and, oh, my gosh, it is so exciting and fulfilling when it -- >> look how clean. >> lou at that. >> look at that. >> no, you don't need -- >> that's the difference. right there. >> you got it. how about a cute baby picture? we have one for you. this is shakira's baby picture. a lot of people -- >> oh, come on. a lot of people sell their baby pictures, but not shakira. >> i love that about her. >> she decided to ask people to

give charity donations of between $5 or whatever for unicef, and that's so sweet. >> she's the national ambassador, and she said instead of baby gifts, instead of anything for me, i'm blessed beyond belief. i have everything i could ever need or wish for. >> i love that. >> in his name grant some money or gifts or something to unicef so that other less fortunate mothers can have their basic needs covered. >> it's very sweet. >> that says everything about her. >> we have a johnson's baby contest because maybe your baby will be selected. >> we should say, usually sara does that for us, but she's gone althis week because she's out in l.a. shooting great pizzas. >> we're excited. in conjunction with johnson's baby, we're celebrating moms everywhere. every week we're going to feature your little bundle of joy right here in our studio. >> send a photo. the birth date and the weight and some words of wisdom about parenthood. you'll have your baby's photo

shown right here shown on friday. >> okay. go to klgandhoda.com. >> i can't wait until tomorrow. >> hoda, i didn't realize what a problem you had until i started seeing how excited you were getting to wednesday. >> it's like new year's eve, and they go what are you talking about? >> you know what, i think this has been good for me, we're not going to do this tomorrow. >> first of all, you know you would never say that. let's begin right there. >> you know, we need to recount our calories. >> i know. >> all this time it's like every day don't wake up and don't read the papers because everything you've been doing that you thought was right is now going to be wrong. >> don't drink coffee. drink coffee. don't drink red wine. now they're saying that the accuracy of the calories on some of those meals -- >> diet meals. >> are -- >> can be wrong by 50%. >> so if you are wondering why you're not losing that weight that you thought -- >> maybe because the numbers on the box aren't really what you are getting. >> maybe chris christie is on one of those diets and it's just

not working. because it's not accurate. they say they're calling -- they're counting calories now by a system that is over like 100 years old. >> it's ancient. they need to do it. it's like so much other stuff in there too. >> you whan the problem is with our entire food supply? it's preservatives. i think that's why there's so much more obesity and so much more illness in the world. we were meant to eat fresh food. >> well, let's eat pancakes. >> okay. at least they're fresh. >> i hop free pancake days. diners will be asked to leave a voluntary donation to support the children's miracle network hospital. >> which is a fantastic program. >> we have a couple of people -- wow -- enjoying pancakes. it's a pancake eating contest. 30 seconds on the clock, please. >> joe, joe, joe. go, go, go. >> joe has been eating since the morning. >> joe has the greatest body, and every time i see him he is

eating. he eats like a garbage disposal all day every day. >> joe -- look at joe. don't choke. don't choke. >> oh, it's going to be -- oh, oh, oh. o.j. >> the man is an animal. i think -- i think joe got it. >> joe's got it. >> we want to give a shout-out right here to cory and jessica who are standing right there. we met them at the chris everett tennis tournament. they actually paid money. >> they're crazy enough to come join us. thanks for coming. >> lots of big names here today. >> jaw, smash hit on the small screen catherine mcfee is with us. >> and academy award winner julie andrews. i love it. her beautiful daughter. first, these messages. ♪ my skin loses moisture nearly twice as fast as yours does, mom. ♪

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the back stage back stab and a whole lot of drama, but that never got me and hoda. >> the second season of nbc series "smash" kicks off tonight, and catherine mcfee plays a struggling actress named karen cartwright who dreams of stardom and lands the role of a lifetime as the legendary marilynn monroe. ♪ the grass is always greener on some new technicolor stage ♪

♪ ♪ yes, i'm diving in moving on ♪ >> yeah. i watched the premier this morning, and it's really terrific. the two-hour season premier of "smash" airs tonight at 9:00 here on nbc. >> hi. look who is here with us. >> how are you? >> i'm so happy to be here. >> i loved it. i loved it, loved it. did you have a chance to see it? >> i have to wait until tonight. >> give us in a nutshell what we can expect this coming season? >> well, we have said farewell to some characters from last year, and i would say the biggest changes, some of our new characters. >> jeremy jordan. >> love interest for you. >> a love interest. who knows where we'll go? >> a little dangerous there. >> a little dangerous. karen meets these two young songwriters, and while she's pursuing bombshell and hoping it's going to make its way to broadway, she sees the potential

for a new show. >> edgier. more like "rent." >> younger, edgier, and it's a totally different kind of show. it's what a lot of people do when, you know, you're in the business, you're pursuing two things at the same time. it's good. >> a lot of the promos you see jennifer hudson. >> yes. >> jennifer is just wonderful. she's just -- look at her. >> she rocks. >> she just rocks. she's just wonderful. >> joy to be on that stam. >> any kind of stage really. sfoo she's a sweetie, september she? >> she was great. super dedicated. >> is she she a new member of the cast? >> she's here for three or four episodes. they have not made her officially part of the cast, but we love her. >> that would be a good idea. >> i remember that someone else might be popping up on your show. >> uh-huh. >> have you spilled the beans yet? >> i have not spilled the beans at all. >> i kind of did. >> just spill it.

do it. >> you want me to -- >> yes. >> let's see. we're on episode 15 right now. we're shooting episode 15, and you did -- >> i did episode 13. >> you're doing a cameo. >> let me tell you how this happened. they asked us -- my musical, you know, "scandalous" called and said this is great. i'm doing "smash" this week, and i'm on with you and hoed wra. i said, well, hoda and i haven't heard about it. are they making fun of us? she said, no, there's actual dialogue. then hoda was on a book tour. i went over there. >> i know. >> i'm bummed we couldn't have you as well. >> i think i'm just reading a little intro, and it turns out here's where you are standing and, by the way, come early. i get there at 3:00, and they put me -- i'm in a huge production number. a whole ensemble. what happened here? i loved every minute of it. >> we won't reveal what production number she's doing. >> we will not say. >> what an amazing cast. >> we were all very excited that you were coming. >> thank you. >> next time.

>> we were excited for tonight. thanks for coming to see us. >> you're such a terrific actor. not just a great singer. >> smash airs tonight. >> say it again. >> here on nbc. >> another singer and actress who can do it all. the legendary julie andrews is here along with her daughter actress and author emma. >> after these messages. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] nothing gets you going quite like the power of quaker. today is going to be epic. quaker up.

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welcome back, everybody. more of today on this boozeless tuesday. we don't need anything else. we are here with the talented mother-daughter writing team, academy award winner julie andrews and emma walton hamilton. >> they are best-selling authors, and today they have written 27 books with more on the way. the new book is a great one. it's called the very pairy princess follows her heart. >> oh, my nieces are loving it. it's so -- i love it one so much. >> welcome, ladies. >> she is really feisty. >> she's based on somebody you

actually know. >> she's inspired by my daughter. yeah. very much so. yeah. she has kind of taken on a life of her own, hasn't she? >> eventually when you write a number of a books in the series she suddenly sprung to life, and you eventually know what she's going to say and do and all of that. >> how does the writing process work with you two? who does what? >> together we write every line together, but -- >> we finish each other's sentences. >> very organic. some writing partners take a chapter each or, you know -- >> it needs to have a singular voice through it. in other words, you got to start together and finish together. you know exactly -- otherwise it's two voices making the one character. >> we have different strengths. let's discuss those. in writing. >> what's your mother's strength? >> she's great about the big idea. she has these wonderful streaks of imagination. >> big picture. stoo she's great. all cover the entrances and the exits. >> and what about you? what would you say is emma's

strength? snoo she's all the nuts and bolts. she's the big ark. the sack in the second act. we have to do this here. >> it's more of a director thing, right? >> yeah. i guess so. >> by far the better writer. >> oh really? >> well, in this book the character faces a little problem when she loses something that she needs so bad, and a lot of kids run into these kind of things. it was beautiful how it was dealt with too in the book. >> she thinks she's a fair where i -- fairy princess, but she's far from perfect. her socks are around her ankles. it's more about sparkle and individuality and -- >> letting that come forward and celebrating it. >> exactly. you know, when she forgets her valentine's, and she has to somehow save the day, she tells each of her friends what she loves about them best. >> there's a reason. >> you know, she says i like you -- >> you sparkle because or when. >> you're going to do a little

sparkle now with christmas coming up. we'll have another one. you come back and see us. >> indeed. >> tell us about -- i just met your niece, your beautiful niece jessica. she said, yes, my aunt -- she said she just finished directoring a musical of a book you had written, and maybe it's going to travel. >> i heard from your lips to everybody's ears. you talk about it a bit. >> the book is a great american mouseical. it's a love letter musical. it's about myself who perform in a great theater. we had the great fortune of it turning into a musical, and mom directed it. >> the music is great, and the lyrics are great, and the choreography is smashing. >> the audiences love it. >> loved it. we're very close to being ready to really take it out on the road. this was a workshop, but it was a workshop with an audience. >> and they do great work. >> they do. >> they do. >> you enjoy directing? was that something that you liked?

>> i do. >> what is it about it that you like? >> i think it's handing on, giving back. also instead of just being in the middle and hoping that the big picture is working, i can stand back and look at the big picture, and i love it it's a control freak thing. >> that's what -- completely right. sfwoo that's what i think every time i hear it. >> very controlling lady. >> control freak. >> we wish you the best of luck with this book. not that you need it. it's a terrific book. >> it's on the best sellers list. >> after that you know where it's going to be? >> well, from your lips. >> thanks. thank you. >> and finding mr. right, we're going to tell you why you may be going about it all wrong, hoda. >> don't look at me. >> after this. i've never seen an ecosystem that's anything like the bering sea. ♪ the cold-water climate, it's a habitat for quality fish to come out of this ocean.

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for me, it's cinnamon. it means a lot to be able to give them something that's good for them, that also puts smiles on their faces. 'cause i really love those smiles. we're the harris family. and we love chex. [ male announcer ] love chex? connect with us on facebook. if you are a single lady, then you know what's coming up next week. it is v-day, the dreaded valentine's day. >> i don't know about the v-day thing. i don't know.

you don't have to sit at home with a bowl of ice cream and chocolate. >> depressing. >> nick savoy says go out and find mr. right. he is a professional dating coach and author of the new book "it's your move, how to play the game and win the man you want." is the man you want -- nice to see you. is the man you want different than the man you need? >> it could be. >> is that part of the problem? >> it is part of the problem. a lot of the time -- i mean, what we have seen proven thousands of times over is that women will decide whether a man is a no or a maybe within like the first 30 to 90 seconds. >> when you look at them. >> exactly. >> that's not the whole story. >> but if you are looking for a long-term relationship and you are out, say, at a bar or a club or a coffee shop or a party, what's the kind of guy who can make a great impression on you within the first 30 to 90 seconds? it's someone who has done it before a lot, so it's maybe a player, someone who is well practiced. maybe want looking for a long-term thing. >> exactly. >> what's the right move to move

them? >> how do you weed through and find the right guy? >> half the game is won or lost before he even leaves the house. who are you going out with? >> it's very important how you dress. snoo how you dress is important too, but also if you want to go out with a couple of girlfriends. not a massive group because that's intimidating for men. >> not your whole sorority. >> exactly. >> not just with one friend because then a guy comes to meet you, and you have your friend standing there awkwardly. >> three is -- >> start in three. wear something or bring something interesting that a guy can comment on. like let's say you got a shiny purse. >> or nice cleavage. that doesn't work you say usually? >> that's want quite where you're going. >> it's not where you're going. i today you, hoda. >> i hate even sitting here. >> there's no straight man who cares enough about your purse to ask you about it. if he does make a comment, it's because he wants to get to know you, and you have opened the door for the conversation. >> maybe is he gay and wants to whon designed it. >> then you have an interesting

conversation. >> then you have a good friend. snoo what's the other way other than bringing a prop. >> let's say there's a specific guy you want to meet. there's really subtle ways to get him to come over. like the eye contact thing or the bumping into him. but you can -- >> don't spill his drink, you said. >> try not to. i ended up dating someone who did that. that's where i learned that -- >> it didn't last, did it? >> we broke up, i'm, like, you shouldn't have spilled that drink on me. i remember. >> and you talk about how if you are a pretty girl, then dress pretty. if you are not so pretty girl, dress interesting. >> i think it's -- >> play to your strengths. >> it's so important to go to your strengths. i'm with guys as they're going out to bars or clubs or coffee shops, and they're deciding who to approach and who they're interested in. i see so often that guys would much rather approach the woman who is confident in her own skin who looks comfortable with herself and who maybe is telling a story about herself with how she's dressed than the 25th most attractive woman in the room that's competing on that ground.

>> it's sad. >> yeah. >> i'm not looking at you when i say that. i didn't. i know you thought that, and i wasn't. i was satisfying i think you want to ask a question now. >> you have asked every question, and i'm done with this segment. it seems to be over. the single one didn't even ask a question. it's fine. i'm going to the handy man segment that's coming up next. >> they're five guys who i think might be right for you, hoed wra. we're going to meet the models who remodel right after this. ♪ ♪ i woke up to a new day ♪ every little thing gonna go my way ♪ ♪ i woke up to a light bulb on ♪ every little thing is possible now ♪ [ female announcer ] we've added a touch of philadelphia cream cheese to our kraft natural shredded cheese so you can bring a creamier melt to any morning. ♪ life is amazing with the love that i've found ♪ ♪

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with the original sugar-like taste you love and trust. (woman) 3 days of walking to give a break cancer survivor a lifetime-- that's definitely a fair trade. it was such a beautiful experience. (jessica lee) ♪ and it's beautiful (woman) why walk 60 miles in the boldest breast cancer event in history?

because your efforts help komen serve millions of women and men facing breast cancer every year. visit the3day.org to register or to request more information today. it was 3 days of pure joy. ♪ and it's beautiful they're hot. they're handy. they know how to work with wood. >> they are five working fashion models who moonlight as handy men. it's a new docuseries on style called -- >> that's what they say. >> -- believe. they are constantly being approached by women for more

than just the fine job they do. >> sounds like she's building a nest. >> a working woman. they get in the mood where they need to start having kids, and i call it nesting. they build a little nest in their house. they get it ready. they just have to attract a mate. >> we have to watch out. especially if you are breeder material. all the guys at the table, breeder material. >> breeder material? >> breeder material. >> and modest too. >> shane is the owner of hot and handy. he is here with donny, mike, foreman sandy diaz and gage. hey, guys. >> i think that's part of the appeal, right? >> you want to sound a little -- >> what's going on here? >> this is your calendar. okay. tell us about this idea of turning this hot group into into something beyond just eye candy. >> yeah. doing construction work, handy man work part-time, and -- >> are we supposed to believe that?

>> no, it's true. i was, like, this could actually be a business. i could turn all my friends into handy men who are good-looking and capitalize on that. here we are. >> so you guys weren't handy men to begin with? >> no, they were. >> they were handy men/models together. >> you all have carpentry skills. >> yes. >> that's the perfect combo. most great-looking guys can't fix anything, and it's really -- it's a turn-on. >> see what i'm saying. >> how did you go about it then? you didn't do a casting call. these guys were right there. then you took the idea to an agent or something? >> the producers called my business partner and said, hey, we want to follow your business on a docuseries, and i said sure. here we are. >> let's show us. show us what we're doing. >> move on to your stations, boys. >> donny is first. he is going to show you how to find a stud. >> we've already found them. okay. >> looking for the stud.

>> okay, donny. >> there you go. >> then you mark down -- >> you mark it. >> now what's happening. >> you got to keep holding the button. >> of course, you do. >> that's even hoda and i could do. >> now you are going to use that to hang a picture? >> absolutely. >> so mike here is going to show you -- >> come on, mike. show us how you hang it. >> hang it. >> can't get away from it. okay. look at that, hoda woman. >> i'm watching. uh-huh. >> then something is happening. >> something is happening. >> oh. >> every one of you guys want to take one of those home with you. okay. >> level it on top. >> make sure it's nice and even. there you go. >> now what's going on? let's move on. >> what do you have? >> every woman should have a toolbox, of course. i picked this up at the local lowe's for you guys. basically every toolbox has a lot of stuff, but what we need

is just five things. you need a screwdriver, a plier, a hammer, a flashlight and a tape measure. guess what, we are going to leave this for you. you need. this is a rachet. you need that. to get into tight spaces. of course, i always have the handy dandy duct tape. >> got to have that. >> gage is going to show you how to level furniture. >> okay. >> you have a rocky chair sometimes. it's a little loose. >> yeah. >> you might want to fix that. especially when you are drinking wine. what you want to do is go to the store and get some of these furniture pads. >> have i them everywhere. >> very simple. >> go down. >> i don't like mark on my floor. hoda doesn't care. >> i say -- >> look putt it underneath. >> wow, gage. >> see how it goes. >> gage. >> you guys are great. >> thank you for -- >> i like him.

>> god bless. >> tuesday nights on the steel network. >> okay. we love -- >> paula and her son, bobby, is whipping up some of his mama's comfort food, but is he taking calories out of it. >> what?

>> in today's kitchening what's on the menu? a little southern comfort. chef bobby dean is reworking his mother's recipes into lighter, lieber versions from mama's table to mine. everybody's favorite comfort foods. at 350 calories or less. >> wow. is that possible? >> right. it is. want just my mom's recipes, but really traditional comfort foods. 350 calories or less was something that we felt like we could hit and still maintain flavor. >> i can't wait. with the shepherd's pie, you wouldn't think you could to it. >> this is something that

everybody's mom and dad at home. can i put you to work? we're going to lighten this up. we're going to use skim milk. >> and a little -- yes. yukon gold. >> they're a little more -- what's the word? >> you whan i'm going to say? >> needy. >> a russert would need lots of butter and all that stuff. no, no, no, baby. >> i do it my way. >> she does. >> a little salt and pepper. >> you're stirring carrots, and i'm adding a pound of lean turkey. >> lean turkey. >> did you all do shepherd's pie at home? >> i love shepherd's pie. >> we don't have real -- you just continue to do that. >> i just want to show you how much butter now he uses as opposed to his mother, which is a gallon. >> my mama would be mad at that amount of butter. she would be mad. >> do you want me to put that in here? >> my mama is going to be real mad. >> what else do you put in here?

>> a little bit of thyme. >> do you think -- >> do you know who my mother is snoo sn she's terrifying. low sodium chicken stock. this is -- i said this earlier, but it's really incredible, and half a cup of this there's only 15 calories and no fat grams at all. we don't have real fun so we're doing this quick. >> potatoes are ready. >> are they? >> uh-huh. >> look what you have done. look at your hard work that you ladies have put in here. >> that's all done. >> shepherd's pie. >> how long do we cook that? >> this is going to be in the oven for 30 minutes. what we would do is take the potatoes that kathie lee was working with and top our shepherd's pie with it. this is the finished product, and it's good. >> it's -- >> put a fork in there. >> we don't have a dish. just got g right at that time. >> accompanied by green bean casserole. these are super southern. >> you can't do it. i tried.

just didn't work. it fell apart. do you like it? >> needs a little salt though, i have to be honest. >> well, do it. who needs a plate? >> are you kidding? >> i love it. this looks like my mama's house. >> do you want to try this? >> wait until you see what the crew does after you leave. >> that's chocolate cheesecake. i don't have a huge sweet tooth, but when i do want something sweet, it's a cheesecake. >> by the way, delicious. >> thank you so much. thank you so much. >> tomorrow it's a big day. guess what, we're going to celebrate. >> you're going to be drinking again tomorrow. >> tomorrow wine day wednesday. >> joy fit club weighing in, and it's all about the grammys. have an awesome boozeless tuesday.